Open Source Solutions

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Open Source Solutions / Feed

This group is for anyone interested in open-source technologies for ecology and conservation. We welcome contributions from both makers and users, whether active or prospective. Here, we believe in the need for open-source hardware and software to do good science and research. It is a place to share novel or existing technologies, exchange resources, discuss new projects, ask for advice, find collaborators, and advocate for adopting open-source technologies.

Group curators

Pen-Yuan Hsing

@Nycticebus_scientia
| he/they

MammalWeb.org

Co-founded citizen science camera-trapping project with interest in developing 100% open source wildlife tech. Advocate for open science/open research. Community member of the Gathering for Open Science Hardware.

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Amanda Matthes

@Amanda_Matthes

trying to understand and improve the welfare of all animals that can suffer

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Brianna Johns

@briannajohns
| she/they

Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH)

Interested in the application of open source technologies for conservation research.

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374

Active members

Active discussions

337

Comments

111

Resources

Despite critical advancements in the tech solutions available to conservationists worldwide, many existing tools are cost-prohibitive in the landscapes that need them most. Additionally, those who create low-cost and open-source alternatives to pricey market tech often operate on tight budgets themselves, meaning they need more resources to promote their solutions to a broader market. We need increased communication around these solutions to highlight their availability, share lessons learned in their creation, and avoid duplication of efforts.

This group is a place to share low-cost, open-source devices for conservation; describe how they are used, including what needs they are addressing and how they fit into the wider conservation tech market; identify the obstacles in advancing the capacity of these technologies; and to discuss the future of these solutions, particularly their sustainability and how best to collaborate moving forward. We welcome contributions from both makers and users, whether active or prospective.

Here is how we see the current OSS space and how this group plans to change it by supporting both makers and users:

Many users do not appreciate the significant benefits of open-source tech. This group will educate users about the advantages and the need for open-source tech, specifically in the context of ecology work. We achieve this by stimulating regular discussions on the forum and by encouraging and supporting users to use open-source tools wherever possible.

Building OSS can be difficult. We want to support both established and potential makers who wish to develop OSS. The OSS group is a place where makers can find funding opportunities, ask current and potential users questions, and share their technologies.

Using OSS can be difficult. We also want to support adopters of OSS tech. We do this by offering a place for users to share challenges they face and crowdsource advice on things like technology choice or technical support.

Makers do not know what users want or need. The OSS group is a place that facilitates conversations between makers and users. This will give users a voice and ensure that makers are aware of the needs of users, enabling them to build better solutions.

The community is small and scattered. We want to grow an inclusive community of OSS practitioners. Our goal is to become the go-to place for discussions on the topic where people feel a sense of belonging.

Resources for getting started

How do I use open source remote sensing data in Google Earth Engine? | Tech Tutors
How do I use open source remote sensing data to monitor fishing? | Tech Tutors
Low Cost, Open Source Solutions | Virtual Meetup
What would an open source conservation technology toolkit look like? | Discussion
December 2024 Open Source Solutions Community Call

Header image: Shawn F. McCracken

Group curators

@Nycticebus_scientia
| he/they

MammalWeb.org

TBC: xx articles
3 Resources
24 Discussions
3 Groups

@Amanda_Matthes

trying to understand and improve the welfare of all animals that can suffer

TBC: xx articles
4 Resources
6 Discussions
7 Groups

@briannajohns
| she/they

Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH)

Interested in the application of open source technologies for conservation research.

TBC: xx articles
9 Resources
4 Discussions
4 Groups

Country based in

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@albags

TBC: xx articles
9 Resources
2 Discussions
9 Groups

@dtoutoungi

Data Scientist/AI Engineer, Birdwatcher, Trail Runner: here to learn about conservation tech & contribute where I can.

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
0 Discussions
11 Groups

@GusGoesWild

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
0 Discussions
6 Groups

@Stelios
| he/him

I am a Software Developer living in Berlin, Germany. Previously studied Informatics (BSc) and Data Science (MSc) in Athens, Greece.

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
0 Discussions
12 Groups

@ctjack1109
| He/Him

I am a graduate student at Purdue University developing low-cost IoT technology to measure wetland methane emissions. This, paired with my undergraduate education in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources, has me naturally drawn to advanced tech coupled with conservation issues.

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
0 Discussions
9 Groups

@lvgliarose
| she/her

Bat Conservation Trust

Research Manager at Bat Conservation Trust

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
8 Discussions
12 Groups

@Jan_Kowalik

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
1 Discussions
6 Groups

@Kyle_Birchard
| He/Him

Building tools for research and management of insect populations

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
0 Discussions
6 Groups

@diego_ellis_soto
| he/him

University of California & California Academy of Sciences

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
0 Discussions
20 Groups

@mattaudette
| he, him, his

Software Tester and Test Automator at Wildlife Protection Solutions

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
1 Discussions
24 Groups

@Rutwik
| Mr

TBC: xx articles
0 Resources
0 Discussions
13 Groups

@Larry_Watkins

Wildlife Protection Solutions (WPS)

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8 Groups

Description	Activity	Replies	Groups	Updated
WILDLABS AWARDS 2024 - Underwater Passive Acoustic Monitoring (UPAM) for threatened Andean water frogs	Congratulations! My first hydromoth was just arrived yesterday and so excited! Looking forward for the update from your project!!!		Acoustics, Animal Movement, Climate Change, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions, Protected Area Management Tools, Sensors, Software Development, Latin America Community	1 year ago
Pytorch-Wildlife: A Collaborative Deep Learning Framework for Conservation (v1.0)	Hi @zhongqimiao ,Might you have faced such an issue while using mega detectorThe conflict is caused by:pytorchwildlife 1.0.2.13 depends on torch==1.10.1pytorchwildlife 1.0.2.12...	+6	AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Open Source Solutions	1 year ago
WILDLABS AWARDS 2024 - No-code custom AI for camera trap species classification	Hi, this is pretty interesting to me. I plan to fly a drone over wild areas and look for invasive species incursions. So feral hogs are especially bad, but in the Everglades there...		AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Open Source Solutions, Software Development	1 year 1 month ago
WILDLABS AWARDS 2024 – MothBox	Gotcha, well I look forward to seeing future iterations and following along with your progress!!		Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects, AI for Conservation, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions, Latin America Community	1 year 1 month ago
WILDLABS AWARDS 2024 - TimeLord: A low-cost, low-power and low-difficulty timer board to control battery-powered devices	'Most importantly, we have to make it play a MIDI version of the DoctorWho theme song when you arm the device. That has to be the #1 feature if you ask me!' Seconded!	+9	Acoustics, Animal Movement, Emerging Tech, Open Source Solutions, Sensors	1 year 1 month ago
Passionate engineer offering funding and tech solutions pro-bono.	Hi Danilo. you seem very passionate about this initiative which is a good start.It is an interesting coincidence that I am starting another project for the coral reefs in the...		Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Animal Movement, Camera Traps, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Community Base, Connectivity, Drones, Emerging Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions, Sensors, Software Development, Wildlife Crime, Funding and Finance	1 year 3 months ago
Monitoring setup in the forest based on the wifi with 2.4 GHz frequency.	I would recommend going with Ubiquity 2.4Ghz devices which have performed relatively well in dense foliage of the California Redwood forests. It took a lot of tweaking to...		Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Connectivity, Open Source Solutions	1 year 4 months ago
How are Outdoor Fire Detection Systems Adapted for Small Forest Areas, Considering the Predominance of Indoor Fire Detectors?	Fire detection is a sort of broad idea. Usually people detect the products of fire, and most often this is smoke.Many home fire detectors in the US use a radioactive source...		Community Base, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Ethics of Conservation Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions, Protected Area Management Tools, Sensors, Wildlife Crime	1 year 4 months ago
Open-source kinetic energy harvesting collar - Kinefox	Super cool! thank you for sharing!		Animal Movement, Open Source Solutions	1 year 4 months ago
Presentation opportunity: Text analysis for conservation (NACCB 2024)	Hi folks! Happy 2024 and thanks in advance for your patience in case I over-used tags. If you’re using any form of natural language...		AI for Conservation, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Early Career, East Africa Community, Emerging Tech, Ending Wildlife Trafficking Online, Ethics of Conservation Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions, Software Development, Wildlife Crime, Women in Conservation Tech Programme (WiCT)	1 year 4 months ago
Unravelling freshwater turtle activity with an open source, low-cost accelerometer	This was one of my all time favourite Variety Hour talks! @wschan gave us an awesome walk through the open-source low cost acceleratometer...		Animal Movement, Open Source Solutions, Sensors	1 year 7 months ago
Experience with SeeedStudio T1000 as tracker and data logger.	ooh very cool Salman! Amazing how much tracking devices have come down in price over the years and LoRa/LoRawan is just such a perfect fit for GPS data. Thanks heaps for sharing....		Build Your Own Data Logger Community, Open Source Solutions	1 year 8 months ago

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