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We have made some improvements to the video capture tool we have been developing to make it better able to identify all predators in the New Zealand environment. We have been testing our device next to a standard commercial trail camera. These are typically designed for hunting deer and pigs etc, so they are not tuned for smaller mammals (unless up very close).
We are very happy to announce that the Next Foundation and Zero Invasive Predators have made a significant contribution that will enable us to accelerate the development of tools for recognising, luring and eliminating predators.
NOTE: This position has been filled.
We are hiring so would love to hear from you if you would like to join the team to help make New Zealand predator free. Job description below.
Lead Developer and Project Manager
The short video below was presented at TEDx is a summary of the Cacophony Project. Feel free to share with anyone you think may be interested and sign up to our newsletter to hear about the latest developments (see bottom of page for email sign up).
Video 1: TEDx talk summarising The Cacophony Project
A team is looking to set up a company to sell and distribute devices and services that use the research The Cacophony Project has been working on. The device records background bird song every hour for a few minutes and then uploads the data to the cloud.
The Cacophony Project was fortunate to win the science category of New Zealand Open source awards this year.
The Cacophony Project is not a science project in the same way it is not a business project (link). However there are lots of ways the tools created by our project will be able to be used by scientists. Below are a few examples that we think are particularly interesting.
The Cacophony Project is completely open source. The hard/software component can be used gratuitously in accordance with their licenses. Given this, how can you possibly create a business from it? The short answer is the same way people build businesses selling water
A new device with both heat and infra-red cameras connected to the cloud looks to be a more automated and sensitive tool for monitoring predators