Introduction to challenges facing pollinators, and overview of a few projects designed to address the issues

1. Technical Solutions to
Pollinator Problems
Debugging Bees and Butterflies
by Randall G Arnold
originally presented at ThoughtWorks Dallas Holiday Meetup Mashup, Addison Treehouse, 2015

2. Who am I?
 Randall (Randy) Arnold aka “texrat”
 Systems engineer for BNSF Railway
 Developer evangelist (Nokia, Intel)
 Community and event organizer (Startup Weekend, Great Seed Bomb, etc)
 Speculative fiction author (unsettled.space)

3. so What’s going on with
pollinators, and
why should we
care?

4. Defining
the
problem(s)
Decline of natural
pollinators (bees,
butterflies)
Negative impact
on ecology and
economy
Education/
awareness gaps

5. “Did you know
that more than
700 plants are
pollinated by
bats?”
http://pollinator.org/bro
chures.htm#bats
“The number of
Monarch butterflies
wintering in Mexico
plunged [in 2014] to its
lowest level since
studies began in 1993.”
http://www.usatoday.com/stor
y/news/world/2014/01/29/mo
narch-butterflies-
decline/5028977/
“Pollinators contribute more
than 24 billion dollars to the
United States economy, of
which honey bees account for
more than 15 billion dollars
through their vital role in
keeping fruits, nuts, and
vegetables in our diets.”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-
press-office/2014/06/20/fact-sheet-
economic-challenge-posed-declining-
pollinator-populations

6. What’s
required for
solutions
Measurable,
actionable
pollinator data
High cooperation
between
stakeholders:
citizens,
government,
agribusiness
Public
engagement/
support

7. “Monarch butterflies
wintering in Mexico could
nearly quadruple in
number [in 2015] thanks to
actions taken by the
United States, Mexico and
Canada…”
http://news.discovery.com/animals
/insects/monarch-butterfly-
population-may-quadruple-in-
mexico-151113.htm
Hey, maybe we just
need some cool
projects…

8. Some
promising
projects
Eyes On Hives
Pollinator
Partnership
The Great Seed
Bomb

9. Eyes On Hives
Monitoring solution that non-
intrusively helps beekeepers
keep an eye on hive health,
with software that measures
hive activity and video
highlights of the hive entrance.
image courtesy Keltronix http://keltronixinc.com
Tech level: high

10. Pollinator Partnership
The Pollinator Partnership’s
mission is to promote the
health of pollinators, critical to
food and ecosystems, through
conservation, education, and
research [largely via S.H.A.R.E.
site registration map].
Tech level: medium to high
image courtesy Christi Nielsen Photography http://christinielsen.com

11. The Great Seed Bomb
image courtesy Christi Nielsen Photography http://christinielsen.com
A 15-mile fun ride benefiting
bees, monarchs and other
pollinators that first took
place November 14, 2015 in
Fort Worth, Texas. More rides
planned!
Tech level: low to medium

12. Summary
Pollinators are in trouble!
Technology can help!

13. Thanks for your interest!
Randall G Arnold
randall.arnold@texrat.net
All unattributed pollinator photos courtesy Carol Leonardi Clark