This is the slide presentation that GROUND Lab gave at the Wildlife Conservation Society in November 2010.

1. Open Conservation
How to get more from
your trac king t ools
without paying more
for them!

2. Who We Are
GROUND Lab

3. GROUND Lab is a Research and Development
company focused on creating innovative sustainable
solutions for social, environmental and humanitarian
challenges.
GROUND Lab has designed and fabricated
prototypes and solutions for a wide range of clients,
ranging from large organizations like UNICEF and
Universities, to smaller NGOs, Researchers,
Conservationists and Artists.

4. Some Of Our Projects
Device X
And open, mobile, networked device for
collecting and computing medical data in
real time from remote health clinics in
Uganda. In collaboration with:
Shared Solar
An open source hardware platform to be
included in a smart cellphone controlled
solar system to power 20 homes in remote
villages in Mali. In collaboration with:

5. Remote Solar System
A system of solar panels developed
and installed in southern Kenya to
provide power to the new Living with
Lions research camp.
Solar Powered Tree House
Built to provide living quarters for
the Living With Lions research
team.

6. Open Source
What is it, really?

7. Open Source Definitions
• “Open source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly
available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make and sell
the design or hardware based on that design.” From Open Hardware Summit Definition.
• “Open source hardware gives people the freedom to control their
technology while sharing knowledge and encouraging commerce
through the open exchange of designs.” From Open Hardware Summit Definition.
• “Open source is a development method for software that harnesses
the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process.
The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more
flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in.” From Open
Source Initiative.

8. “Monkey See Monkey Do”
Open source is just a
more informed
practice of “monkey
see monkey do”.
This social interaction
is what has allowed
our species as well as
numerous others to
quickly adapt and
implement survival
strategies.
Open source leverages the same interaction and knowledge sharing
willingness, and builds on the practice of learning from watching others.

9. Biologist Carel van Schaik observed this interaction in Sumatran
orangutans and noticed how the most prolific tool-using populations
were the ones where the population at large supported the ability to
watch tool-use among individuals.

10. Wikipedia and Wikis
• Wikipedia is a collaborative, web-based
encyclopedia. It creates a space where
knowledge is shared in order to be
expanded upon, used, modified for any
purpose such as profit, non profit,
research or passion.
• Wikis are websites, like Wikipedia, that
allow the easy creation and editing of
interlinked web pages. They are often
used to create collaborative websites, for
remote note-taking or for corporate
knowledge management and sharing.

11. Open Software
• Linux is a free Operating System that can be
installed on a wide variety of computer hardware,
ranging from mobile phones, tablet computers and
video game consoles to supercomputers. It runs
the 10 fastest supercomputers in the world and
lots of netbooks and smartphones thanks to
embedded Linux. The development of Linux is one
of the greatest examples of open source
collaboration.
• MySQL is a relational database management
system that runs as a server providing multi-
user access to a number of databases.

12. Open Hardware
• Arduino is an open source electronics prototyping platform based on
flexible, easy to use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists,
designers, hobbyists and anyone interested in creating interactive
objects and environments.
• SparkFun is a for profit company
founded with the goal of ‘Sharing
Ingenuity’. SparkFun sells electronic
components and offers easy
documentation and tutorials that
help artists, engineers, designers
and hobbyists build their own
projects.

13. Open vs. Free
R Project
R is a software environment for
statistical computing and
graphics. It runs on a wide variety
of operating systems. It is open
source, has many donors,
contributors and a large
community of users.
Cyber Tracker
is a free software for GPS field
data collections. It can run on
smartphones or computers that
run Windows. It only has one
contributor and limited donors.

14. Open Source Benefits
• Open Innovation has often out-paced and challenged the more
traditional development strategies.
• The Open Source approach creates an active community and
central knowledge base, which is self-sustaining and supported
through continued use of the information contained.
• Open Innovation often leads to the creation of tools that can be
more reliable and stable.
• This method can be very cost effective since a multitude of
applications and projects are driving the development. The ability to
create a physical prototype early, by building on the shoulders of
others, is also a great resource for more successful fundraising.
• Peer review and accessible documentation provide a deeper
understanding of how the tools function and therefore allow more
flexibility and freedom in customization and repair.

15. Open Technologies
Applied to Wildlife Conservation

16. Field Observations
The Open Source Lion Tracking Collar project resulted from
observations made while building a research camp for the The
Living with Lions and Lion Guardians Program in Kenya.
• The most effective conservation techniques are those that look at the
ecosystem as a whole, putting an emphasis on data sharing between multi
field research.
Open Source development enhances data sharing by implementing shared
knowledge bases and common protocols.
• All information gathered about the local environment - from elephant data,
to cattle and soil moisture data - is being collected with similar processes
and tool chains.
When using common tools, peer-driven open development becomes viable
because there are enough users to support the creation of new
technologies.

17. Specific Applications

18. Specific Applications
1. High cost of current technologies reduces the population that can be
tracked and limits the application of the tools.

19. Specific Applications
1. Through open documentation, projects can consolidate resources, lowering
development costs and challenging market prices for existing products.

20. Specific Applications
1. Through open documentation, projects can consolidate resources, lowering
development costs and challenging market prices for existing products.
2. Hard to customize for a specific application.

21. Specific Applications
1. Through open documentation, projects can consolidate resources, lowering
development costs and challenging market prices for existing products.
2. Open documentation and open design allow the user to change targeted
parts of the tool chain to fit the needs of a specific project.

22. Specific Applications
1. Through open documentation, projects can consolidate resources, lowering
development costs and challenging market prices for existing products.
2. Open documentation and open design allow the user to change targeted
parts of the tool chain to fit the needs of a specific project.
3. Data sharing is limited or impossible.

23. Specific Applications
1. Through open documentation, projects can consolidate resources, lowering
development costs and challenging market prices for existing products.
2. Open documentation and open design allow the user to change targeted
parts of the tool chain to fit the needs of a specific project.
3. Thanks to shared knowledge bases, it is easier to reach a common protocol
for data aggregation and sharing.

24. Specific Applications
1. Through open documentation, projects can consolidate resources, lowering
development costs and challenging market prices for existing products.
2. Open documentation and open design allow the user to change targeted
parts of the tool chain to fit the needs of a specific project.
3. Thanks to shared knowledge bases, it is easier to reach a common protocol
for data aggregation and sharing.
4. No ability to personally or locally repair the tools.

25. Specific Applications
1. Through open documentation, projects can consolidate resources, lowering
development costs and challenging market prices for existing products.
2. Open documentation and open design allow the user to change targeted
parts of the tool chain to fit the needs of a specific project.
3. Thanks to shared knowledge bases, it is easier to reach a common protocol
for data aggregation and sharing.
4. Peer review, in the form of Wikis, forums and open documentation make the
tools easier to understand, repair and troubleshoot.

26. Specific Applications
1. Through open documentation, projects can consolidate resources, lowering
development costs and challenging market prices for existing products.
2. Open documentation and open design allow the user to change targeted
parts of the tool chain to fit the needs of a specific project.
3. Thanks to shared knowledge bases, it is easier to reach a common protocol
for data aggregation and sharing.
4. Peer review, in the form of Wikis, forums and open documentation make the
tools easier to understand, repair and troubleshoot.
5. No scalability of projects due to high costs.

27. Specific Applications
1. Through open documentation, projects can consolidate resources, lowering
development costs and challenging market prices for existing products.
2. Open documentation and open design allow the user to change targeted
parts of the tool chain to fit the needs of a specific project.
3. Thanks to shared knowledge bases, it is easier to reach a common protocol
for data aggregation and sharing.
4. Peer review, in the form of Wikis, forums and open documentation make the
tools easier to understand, repair and troubleshoot.
5. Open source reduces development cost making it possible to track and
study a larger population.

28. Lion Guardians
The first applications we are focusing on for the Lion
Guardians Program are:
• Tracking the Lion Guardians while they gather observation data;
• Tracking livestock in the Southern Kenya Maasai Land.

29. Technical Overview
Of The Tracking Project

30. System Overview
Our goal is to develop a low cost tracking device to track
wildlife, transmit the location data via cellphone network to
the web in real time, with the possibility of contacting
Maasai herders if lions are approaching their livestock.

31. System Overview

32. System Overview

33. System Overview

34. System Overview

35. System Overview

36. System Overview

37. System Overview
GPS SATELLITES CELLPHONE NETWORK
MAASAI
TRACKING DEVICE
RESEARCHERS

38. Open Tracking Hardware
The tracking devices that we are
currently developing use a Sirfstar III
satellite-based GPS module to track
position location.
The device/collar connects to a
cellphone network (like AT&T, T-Mobile
or Safaricom in Kenya) through a Telit
GSM module via SMS or GPRS data
transfers.
An Atmel microchip provides power
saving capabilities and logic control,
allowing the researcher to modify the
device and add sensors in future
implementations.

39. Open Tracking Software
An Open Source C/C++ Library for Atmel An easy to use MySQL database and server
microcontrollers as well as for the Arduino script that pulls the data uploaded to the
platforms to access the GPS and GSM/ network from the devices and aggregates it
GPRS functionality of these modules. in an easy to use way.

40. Open Tracking Online
A Java based online visualization tool that
implements Google Earth/Maps to retrieve
and graphically represent the location data
stored in the database.
A second visualization tool will come at a
later date and will focus on implementing an
ARC GIS or R plug-in to address the needs
of the researchers' community.
Wiki & Online Resources
A Website www.opensourcetracking.org, Wiki and Forum are also being developed to
document the technology and provide a shared space where people can find tutorials
and where they can ask questions, troubleshoot and share their experiences and reviews
of tracking technologies in use.

41. How To Help Us Help U?
This project began as a self-started, self-funded project to make an
affordable and customizable tracking device. Thanks to the great
interest it received we realized it could it could be fruitful and beneficial
to the community at large and for many different applications.
How to help:
• We are still compiling resources, therefore if you are interested in these
technologies please share your thoughts with us. We are particularly interested in:
- How people use these technologies and their current issues.
- How documentation could be better formatted.
- What information is important for you to visualize.
• We are always looking for places and projects we can apply these technologies to.
• Any suggestions on Grants or other resources for the development of tracking
applications would be really appreciated.
• Spread the knowledge!

42. Thank You! From Justin & Benedetta
www.opensourcetracking.org
www.groundlab.cc
feel free to email
us@grndlab.com
Living With Lions
www.lionconservation.org