Sateliot, EWT jointly track endangered species with 5G IoT satellite tech
Sateliot, a satellite internet provider, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) have teamed up to deploy 5G IoT sensors on vultures in Africa, aiming to protect endangered species and fight poaching.
Sateliot says it offers 5G satellite coverage to enable roaming with MNOs without using additional equipment. The companies say that NGOs can now expand their reach using standard terrestrial technology.
Challenges persist in providing IoT connectivity in remote areas, hindering conservation efforts for earth’s biodiversity under threat.
Illegal trade in Africa has led to the poisoning of thousands of vultures, risking their extinction. The poisoning also affects scavenging mammals like lions, hyenas and leopards.
The companies note that quick detection and response are vital to saving these animals from harm.
According to the collaboration, the EWT gains global connectivity at no extra cost, allowing large IoT deployments and enhancing current operations.
Gianluca Redolfi, the chief commercial officer at Sateliot, imagines a future in which satellite connectivity transforms how NGOs participate in conservation work.
“By harnessing Sateliot’s advanced capacity allocation techniques, NGOs can tap into free satellite capacity during specific time slots and locations at no extra cost,” adds Redolfi.
The EWT in southern and east Africa uses vultures’ behavior and GPS technology to create a rapid poisoning detection system called Eye in the Sky. This system monitors the behavioral patterns of GPS-tracked vultures to remotely identify poison sources and feeding incidents linked to potentially contaminated carcasses.
The EWT Eye in the Sky program covers 15 million km2 with 380 vultures of five species. Monitored through EarthRanger software, GPS-equipped birds alert African teams for rapid response to poisoning events.
The rapid detection system has already reduced the impact of wildlife poisoning in southern Africa. In the last year, it identified 15 poisoning events, enabling the rescue of over 100 vultures and swift removal of poison sources, the companies say.
Last year, Sateliot joined the IoT M2M Council (IMC), the world’s largest association for IoT, to raise awareness of its technology.
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