Hah!  I just logged in to post this.  I talked with the G4C people the other day.  Thanks fo beating me to it.

Hey Gregg,

The project looks cool!

Just wondering how much you envisage the load carrying capacity of the drone to be? So being able to carry cameras, GPS, etc.

Also, do you see the price coming down later? $5000 sounds quite steep...

And finally, have you thought about creating it as an open source project? Since all the perks at this points are mostly symbolic, this way people would be more compelled to contribute.

Have a nice day,

Daniel

Using SMART to record and map where the boat strikes (and/or sightings of injured manatees) are happening could be a good way to at least get a better idea of the problem, where it is happening and times of year etc.

Hi John,

Have you checked out Whale Alert? There may be some scope for applying/adapting the same technology for averting manatee strikes by applying it to the recreational boating sector.

Best regards,

Gavin

It's very interesting what you say about the strength of a name. I do think that anthropomorphism can be a good thing in the case of conservation. By giving Cecil a name and a life story (incidentally a very cosy British name, which is interesting in itself), it brings the issue into emotional focus. We are attracted to characters and stories, not data. The plight of a named lion strikes a stronger chord than the numbing statistic of 600 "un-named" lions dying every year. 

So do we care more about nature if we make anthropomorphise it? I think yes, as it creates a relatable personal connection with our own lives. 

I'd like to get in touch with you next week as this is an area I am very interested in exploring and I hope I can be of help. Paul 

We're just starting to look a lot at Storytelling in Wildbook (http://www.wildbook.org). 

This is what a data profile looks like in Wildbook:

http://www.whaleshark.org/individuals.jsp?number=A-001

While we allow for basic anthropomorphism via nicknaming, it's still a very data centric view of what a combined group of reserchers knows about the animal.

We have experimented with social media profiles which interestingly have an analogous data schema as mark-recapture:

http://fb.wildme.org/wildme/public/profile/WS-A-001

But we want to go ever further with storytelling mediums (e.g., story maps?) that can be automated from scientific data input, especially where cit sci data and reserch data can be reliably mixed. 

So in addition to a name, we want to build a relationship through a portrayal of its life history and even potentially a view of the social network of the animal participates in (if such data can be shared safely.).

Hi Felix,

Thanks for sharing your question! I would have thought your course adviser might be the best person to advise about what equipment you would be required to take the course. However, GIS applications usually require access to a computer, a GIS program like ArcGIS or MapInfo, and access to information like satellite imagery or other data layers that are used by your GIS program. These should be provided by your university course - most universities have GIS labs where they teach you how to use the programs without the requirement to invest in equipment while learning.

Cheers, 

Stephanie 

The police have tried to use New World Vultures to find dead bodies in Europe. The success was some what limited but not the fault of the birds.

This does open up a whole area of questions about the use of birds and some of the Unforeseen consequences. The latest amazingly stupid idea of using Eagles to bring down drones that was/is being considered by the British police after the Dutch police showed a video of a Juvenile Bald Eagle doing the same. The vultures that are now being deliberately killed in Africa because naturally they are giving away the location of a poached elephant or Rhino. The poor Griffon Vultures that keep being arrested as spies in the middle east as they have rings that have come from Israel on there legs.

There are quite often side effects to these uses of birds that are unforeseen at the out set but usually end up cost the animal involved.