EarthRanger: An open‐source platform for ecosystem monitoring, research and management
Abstract Effective approaches are needed to conserve the planet's remaining wildlife and wilderness landscapes, especially concerning global biodiversity conservation targets. Here, we present a new software system called EarthRanger: an open‐source platform built to help monitor, research and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Methods in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14399 |
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| author | Jake Wall Jes Lefcourt Chris Jones Chris Doehring Dan O'Neill Dennis Schneider Jordan Steward Joshua Krautwurst Tiffany Wong Bruce Jones Karen Goodfellow Ted Schmitt Kathleen Gobush Iain Douglas‐Hamilton Frank Pope Eric Schmidt Jonathan Palmer Emma Stokes Andrea Reid L. Mark Elbroch Peter Kulits Catherine Villeneuve Victor Matsanza Geoff Clinning Jordi vanOort Kristen Denninger Snyder Alina Peter Daati Wesley Gold Stephen Cunliffe Batian Craig Barry Cork Grant Burden Marc Goss Nathan Hahn Sarah Carroll Eric Gitonga Ray Rao Jared A. Stabach Frédéric Dulude‐de Broin Patrick Omondi George Wittemyer |
| author_facet | Jake Wall Jes Lefcourt Chris Jones Chris Doehring Dan O'Neill Dennis Schneider Jordan Steward Joshua Krautwurst Tiffany Wong Bruce Jones Karen Goodfellow Ted Schmitt Kathleen Gobush Iain Douglas‐Hamilton Frank Pope Eric Schmidt Jonathan Palmer Emma Stokes Andrea Reid L. Mark Elbroch Peter Kulits Catherine Villeneuve Victor Matsanza Geoff Clinning Jordi vanOort Kristen Denninger Snyder Alina Peter Daati Wesley Gold Stephen Cunliffe Batian Craig Barry Cork Grant Burden Marc Goss Nathan Hahn Sarah Carroll Eric Gitonga Ray Rao Jared A. Stabach Frédéric Dulude‐de Broin Patrick Omondi George Wittemyer |
| author_sort | Jake Wall |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Effective approaches are needed to conserve the planet's remaining wildlife and wilderness landscapes, especially concerning global biodiversity conservation targets. Here, we present a new software system called EarthRanger: an open‐source platform built to help monitor, research and manage ecosystems. EarthRanger consists of seven main components (Core Server, API, Storage, Gundi, Web App, Mobile App, Ecoscope) that provide functionality for data (i) aggregation & collection, (ii) storage & management, (iii) real‐time and post hoc analysis, (iv) visualisation and (v) dissemination. The mobile application provides field‐based data recording and visualisation tools. EarthRanger may be deployed for single project use or can aggregate across multiple geographies as a centralised hub. EarthRanger can be used to collect standardised tracking data (e.g. from wildlife collars, vehicles and ranger patrols) and configurable event information (e.g. a singular recording with associated user‐defined attribute information such as a wildlife sighting or encounter with a poacher). Since development began in 2015, the platform has (at the time of writing) been deployed at over 500 sites across 70 countries and with myriad configurations and objectives. EarthRanger has improved the ability to monitor data feeds and manage conservation‐related operations in real time. For instance, the deployment of EarthRanger by African Parks has led to the removal of over 50,000 snares, steady population growth of key species of concern and near cessation of poaching. In Liwonde's protected area, enhanced mitigation efforts supported by EarthRanger reduced the number of deaths from wildlife conflict by more than 91%. EarthRanger is also providing a platform to enhance standardisation, aggregation, transfer and long‐term storage of ecological information and promote collaboration between groups conducting protected area management and ecology and biodiversity research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dc5feb8a897249018f9b57db285eae0e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-210X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Methods in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-dc5feb8a897249018f9b57db285eae0e2025-08-20T02:12:30ZengWileyMethods in Ecology and Evolution2041-210X2024-11-0115111968197910.1111/2041-210X.14399EarthRanger: An open‐source platform for ecosystem monitoring, research and managementJake Wall0Jes Lefcourt1Chris Jones2Chris Doehring3Dan O'Neill4Dennis Schneider5Jordan Steward6Joshua Krautwurst7Tiffany Wong8Bruce Jones9Karen Goodfellow10Ted Schmitt11Kathleen Gobush12Iain Douglas‐Hamilton13Frank Pope14Eric Schmidt15Jonathan Palmer16Emma Stokes17Andrea Reid18L. Mark Elbroch19Peter Kulits20Catherine Villeneuve21Victor Matsanza22Geoff Clinning23Jordi vanOort24Kristen Denninger Snyder25Alina Peter Daati26Wesley Gold27Stephen Cunliffe28Batian Craig29Barry Cork30Grant Burden31Marc Goss32Nathan Hahn33Sarah Carroll34Eric Gitonga35Ray Rao36Jared A. Stabach37Frédéric Dulude‐de Broin38Patrick Omondi39George Wittemyer40Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USAAllen Institute for AI Seattle Washington USADepartment of Biology University of Washington Seattle Washington USASave the Elephants Nairobi KenyaSave the Elephants Nairobi KenyaWildlife Protection Solutions Golden Colorado USAWildlife Conservation Society New York City New York USAWildlife Conservation Society New York City New York USAAfrican Parks Johannesburg South AfricaPanthera New York City New York USAMax Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems Tübingen GermanyMila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute Montréal Quebec CanadaKenya Wildlife Service Nairobi KenyaAfrican Parks Johannesburg South AfricaAfrican Parks Johannesburg South AfricaGrumeti Fund Serengeti Western Corridor TanzaniaContech Africa Arusha TanzaniaOkoa Maliasili Arusha TanzaniaNatural Capital Ebene Mauritius51 Degrees Ltd., The Lewa Conservancy Isiolo Kenya51 Degrees Ltd., The Lewa Conservancy Isiolo Kenya51 Degrees Ltd., The Lewa Conservancy Isiolo KenyaMara Elephant Project Lemek Conservancy Narok KenyaTerrAdapt Bothell Washington USADepartment of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USAMara Elephant Project Lemek Conservancy Narok KenyaVibrant Earth Ventures Inc. Vancouver British Columbia CanadaSmithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal Virginia USADépartement de Biologie Université Laval Québec City Quebec CanadaKenya Wildlife Research and Training Institute Naivasha KenyaDepartment of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USAAbstract Effective approaches are needed to conserve the planet's remaining wildlife and wilderness landscapes, especially concerning global biodiversity conservation targets. Here, we present a new software system called EarthRanger: an open‐source platform built to help monitor, research and manage ecosystems. EarthRanger consists of seven main components (Core Server, API, Storage, Gundi, Web App, Mobile App, Ecoscope) that provide functionality for data (i) aggregation & collection, (ii) storage & management, (iii) real‐time and post hoc analysis, (iv) visualisation and (v) dissemination. The mobile application provides field‐based data recording and visualisation tools. EarthRanger may be deployed for single project use or can aggregate across multiple geographies as a centralised hub. EarthRanger can be used to collect standardised tracking data (e.g. from wildlife collars, vehicles and ranger patrols) and configurable event information (e.g. a singular recording with associated user‐defined attribute information such as a wildlife sighting or encounter with a poacher). Since development began in 2015, the platform has (at the time of writing) been deployed at over 500 sites across 70 countries and with myriad configurations and objectives. EarthRanger has improved the ability to monitor data feeds and manage conservation‐related operations in real time. For instance, the deployment of EarthRanger by African Parks has led to the removal of over 50,000 snares, steady population growth of key species of concern and near cessation of poaching. In Liwonde's protected area, enhanced mitigation efforts supported by EarthRanger reduced the number of deaths from wildlife conflict by more than 91%. EarthRanger is also providing a platform to enhance standardisation, aggregation, transfer and long‐term storage of ecological information and promote collaboration between groups conducting protected area management and ecology and biodiversity research.https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14399biodiversityconservationecosystem monitoringGPS trackingprotected area managementreal‐time analytics |
| spellingShingle | Jake Wall Jes Lefcourt Chris Jones Chris Doehring Dan O'Neill Dennis Schneider Jordan Steward Joshua Krautwurst Tiffany Wong Bruce Jones Karen Goodfellow Ted Schmitt Kathleen Gobush Iain Douglas‐Hamilton Frank Pope Eric Schmidt Jonathan Palmer Emma Stokes Andrea Reid L. Mark Elbroch Peter Kulits Catherine Villeneuve Victor Matsanza Geoff Clinning Jordi vanOort Kristen Denninger Snyder Alina Peter Daati Wesley Gold Stephen Cunliffe Batian Craig Barry Cork Grant Burden Marc Goss Nathan Hahn Sarah Carroll Eric Gitonga Ray Rao Jared A. Stabach Frédéric Dulude‐de Broin Patrick Omondi George Wittemyer EarthRanger: An open‐source platform for ecosystem monitoring, research and management Methods in Ecology and Evolution biodiversity conservation ecosystem monitoring GPS tracking protected area management real‐time analytics |
| title | EarthRanger: An open‐source platform for ecosystem monitoring, research and management |
| title_full | EarthRanger: An open‐source platform for ecosystem monitoring, research and management |
| title_fullStr | EarthRanger: An open‐source platform for ecosystem monitoring, research and management |
| title_full_unstemmed | EarthRanger: An open‐source platform for ecosystem monitoring, research and management |
| title_short | EarthRanger: An open‐source platform for ecosystem monitoring, research and management |
| title_sort | earthranger an open source platform for ecosystem monitoring research and management |
| topic | biodiversity conservation ecosystem monitoring GPS tracking protected area management real‐time analytics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14399 |
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