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 | |  |  |  | | CyberTracker revolution | | CyberTracker, the brainchild of 1998 Laureate Louis Liebenberg, is a handheld device originally developed to modernise the ancient skill of tracking. While it has proven highly successful for its original purpose, Liebenberg has discovered that its software has revolutionary potential to reduce some of the negative impacts of climate change; CyberTracker technology can monitor, predict and help prevent irreversible damage to our ecosystems. |
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Louis Liebenberg, a South African scientist and tracking expert, believes that the only way to understand and deal with the impact of global warming is to establish an ecosystem’s status quo. “At present we have no idea how many species are really threatened, as we do not have enough observations,” he says. “Many species could be going extinct without us even knowing it. For example, it is now believed that the Golden Toad [Bufo periglenes] was driven to extinction by climate change. The only reason that this is known is that a research team hap pened to be studying this particular species. What we need to do now is to generate raw observations about nature, particularly small mammals, reptiles and flora not monitored by conservation agencies, so that we can detect any declines in populations.”
Liebenberg is convinced that CyberTracker can make a difference. He says that while CyberTracker basically is a tool to gather data in a very efficient way, it more importantly offers a new way of looking at nature – a new methodology that will make it possible
to monitor the environment on a worldwide basis at a level of detail not possible before. “While we can never hope to ‘manage’ the environment – the global ecosystem is simply too complex – we can manage the impact of humans on nature by changing human behaviour. If we observe a sudden decline in a population of animals or plants, data gathered will give us an indication of what the cause was, and establish whether human activity is having a negative impact. If a species disappears from a river, we need to determine if there are any signs of pollution. The objective of environmental monitoring is therefore to alert us if and when human actions are having a negative impact on nature.”
CyberTracker’s innovative and flexible
software combines the indigenous
knowledge of Africa’s traditional trackers
with state-of-the-art computer and
satellite technology to give highly
detailed observations of natural
systems. The CyberTracker software
runs on smart phones and handheld
computers. It has an icon-based interface
which, Liebenberg says, allows for
significantly faster collection of
complex data by trackers, scientists and
conservationists alike. “The beauty of
the programme is in its ease of use –
it was originally designed to meet the
needs of illiterate Kalahari Bushmen,”
explains Liebenberg. “To record a sighting
– whether it be an animal, tracks,
or a plant – the user chooses from a
menu of pictograms which can be
easily customised depending on
requirements. They then simply tap
the screen the appropriate number of
times – for example, five taps means
five elephants. The GPS component
adds the location and time of sighting automatically.” The data on the handheld
is easily downloaded onto a PC.
Analysis is then instantly available,
either through detailed reports or via
colour-coded maps which offer an
immediate and compelling view of
where, for example, animals are
congregating. |
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The CyberTracker software is
available online as “greenware”
– free software that benefits
conservation – and to date there have
been more than 30,000 downloads.
At least 700 independent projects, in
75 countries, use CyberTracker. The
system is being used to monitor such
critically endangered wildlife as the
Sumatran rhino in Borneo, dolphins in
the Gulf of Mexico, snow leopards in
the Himalayas and wolves in Alaska.
In Liebenberg’s home country, South
Africa, CyberTracker has proved highly
successful. For South African National
Parks (SANParks), for example, CyberTracker is an indispensable tool for
field data collection, particularly in the
2-million-hectare Kruger National Park
(KNP). Geographic information systems
expert Sandra MacFadyen says Cyber-
Tracker is a quick and dynamic tool
which facilitates scientific research,
benefiting both rangers and management.
“The CyberTracker interface was
customised to allow KNP rangers to
collect data on poaching activities,
fence line breakages, the location of
diseased and injured animals, tracks
and sightings of rare animals and illegal
human activity, all of which are used
to formulate KNP’s adaptive management
practices and policies,” says
MacFadyen. “Our park’s rangers are
also empowered as they can now see
a tangible visual record of their efforts.
Previously we used paper-based patrol
data which were of limited value as
only incidental observations were
written down. These often did not see the light of day, which was frustrating
and disheartening for our rangers. Now
they know their efforts on the ground
will translate to improvements in our
conservation management practices.”
In another part of Africa, CyberTracker has proved pivotal in pinpointing
gorilla mortalities from Ebola
hemorrhagic fever in Odzala National
Park. The Republic of Congo, and
Odzala National Park in particular, is
one of the world’s most important
strongholds for lowland gorillas and
chimpanzees. In 2001, its primate
population was devastated by an unexpected
and lethal Ebola outbreak. In
some areas, the drop in numbers was
as much as 80 to 90 per cent. It was
only because of data collected by
CyberTracker patrols that the outbreak
was detected. “Initially, it was assumed
that Ebola affected only primates and
humans,” says Liebenberg. “On
analysing CyberTracker data, it was
discovered that chimpanzees, duikers
and bush pigs are also killed by the
deadly virus. The true extent of Ebola
would never have been known had it
not been for the CyberTracker
programme.”
While CyberTracker is starting to
prove indispensable for conservationists
around the world, the software has
also been adapted to accommodate a
variety of other innovative applications,
from supporting search-and-rescue
operations in California, to conducting
socio-economic surveys in southern
and central Africa.
In South Africa, CyberTracker is
being used by organic farmers to
record observations of pests and predator
species. Unlike conventional farming,
organic farming is more exposed
to natural variables, including pest
infestations. As organic farmers aim to
minimise any negative impacts on the
environment, keeping track of both
pest and predator populations allows them to make informed decisions about
the need to apply pesticides.
CyberTracker was also used in Sri
Lanka to facilitate humanitarian disaster
relief after the tsunami in December
2004. “Disaster relief efforts have to
overcome serious logistical problems
created by poor communication and
unreliable information,” Liebenberg
says. “Using CyberTracker, we can
quickly gather good-quality data on the
ground, to make informed decisions.
Better information on the quantities of
relief supplies needed – for example
medicine, food, blankets and shelter –
ensures the more efficient and effective
distribution of resources.”
Acutely aware of CyberTracker’s
potential significance in a wide range
of applications, Liebenberg continually
enhances the software and devises new
methodologies to improve its efficiency.
In 2005, CyberTracker was
completely redesigned; whereas the
original CyberTracker only supported
low-resolution, black-and-white Palm
PDAs (personal digital assistants), the
latest version (Version 3) supports two
separate PDA operating systems: the
PalmOS and Microsoft Windows Mobile for PocketPC. Version 3 has also been
designed in a modular way to support
new PDA and GPS units as they come
onto the market. “Perhaps one of the
biggest limitations with the original
version was that it was very difficult to
customise. Version 3 is very easy to
customise – now anybody can download
and run it themselves.”
Liebenberg is keen to further
improve Cybertracker by enabling the
software to automatically calculate
critical thresholds of survival (i.e. the
lowest level a particular population
can drop to before it becomes critically
endangered) based on an index of
abundance. CyberTracker will automatically
alert the user when a species
crosses this threshold, signalling the
need for intervention.
In an environment where global
warming can lead to unexpected, widespread
and rapid changes, the value of
this tool is enormous. “Theoretically, it
is already possible to calculate a critical
threshold for a species, but it means
churning through millions of data every
year – a feat that is impossible if done
manually,” the Rolex Laureate says.
“I would like CyberTracker to generate
an indicator of abundance, based on
which it can calculate the critical
threshold. This would make CyberTracker an infinitely more powerful
and relevant tool in conservation.”
As with most small, non-profit organisations,
however, securing ongoing
financial support to implement these
improvements is a struggle. |
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Liebenberg says he desperately
needs more resources for
research and development. His
1998 Rolex Award gave CyberTracker
Conservation its first big break: the
publicity generated by the Award
brought CyberTracker to the attention
of the European Union, which granted
him a €2 million contract. The EU funding has sustained the company for
the past seven years, and facilitated the
development of Version 3. However
that funding has ended, and Liebenberg
now faces the challenge of finding a
new donor if he is to make further
enhancements.
“It is difficult to get funding for
CyberTracker as it is not a mainstream
project, but falls in a niche category,
one that most big corporates don’t tend
to fund,” Liebenberg explains. “The
software is not commercially viable,
as most of its end-users also battle to
obtain funding. Ideally, CyberTracker
Conservation needs to attract a private
philanthropist who recognises the true
value of CyberTracker.”
In the meantime, the lack of funding
does not stop Liebenberg from envisioning
bigger and better versions of
the software. Version 4, he says, will
be web-enabled to allow users to
capture and share data without owning
a desktop PC. If Liebenberg gets his
way – and the funding – the CyberTracker Web Version will have a smart
phone component, web accessible data
and global species information to
promote collaborative distributed data
capturing and sharing.
“CyberTracker is incredibly adaptable,
and the potential applications are
diverse,” he says. “I believe that we
have not yet come close to reaching
saturation point, but I really under-estimated how long it would take to
get it up and running. It has been
ten years, and only now do we see
good examples of how it can be used.
My feeling is that it has not even
reached 10 per cent of its potential.
Perhaps not even 1 per cent.” |
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IN THE FOOTSTEPS
OF CRIMINALS
The art of tracking is traditionally associated with animals, but Louis
Liebenberg believes the same principles can be applied to tracking
the movements of lawbreakers. “Tracking and plotting the movements
of criminals using CyberTracker allows law-enforcement
officials to position strategic observation posts, pre-empt possible
attacks, and ultimately apprehend the criminal.”
Liebenberg has already successfully applied his theory at the
Noordhoek wetlands and beach in South Africa. Popular with
tourists and residents, this remote area was experiencing frequent
occurrences of armed robbery, assaults and even rape. Liebenberg
personally put in place a CyberTracker monitoring programme. By
reacting immediately when an incident occurred, CyberTracker
patrols were able to track the criminals by means of footprints and
other clues. Comprehensive data were collected that allowed
Liebenberg and the police to pre-empt attacks and set up
ambushes. The CyberTracker programme led to several arrests and
a sharp drop in the number of attacks.
The CyberTracker patrols also observed and recorded animals and
endangered plants, in the process discovering two animal species
– the Cape Fox and Yellow Mongoose – previously not known to
occur in the area.
In late 2007, Liebenberg was looking to implement CyberTracker in
Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain National Park. The mountain
has become a stalking ground for muggers who ambush tourists,
joggers and walkers to steal mobile phones, watches and money,
and sometimes to rape.
“The only way we will be able to catch these thieves is to track them
by following their footprints, locating their hiding places and using
CyberTracker to plot their movements. Unfortunately, it is not obvious
to people who don’t understand the science of tracking, so the
challenge for me is to convince police that it can work.”
ALEXA SCHOOF MARKETOS |
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Louis Liebenberg
CyberTracker Software (Pty) Ltd
P.O. Box 1211
Noordhoek Cape Town 7985
South Africa
For more information on the CyberTracker, visit: www.cybertracker.co.za
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