It has been repeatedly reported that certain animals change their behavior and anticipate, for example, that a storm or an earthquake is approaching. Valuable information for monitoring the environment that could be exploited through a huge biolocation network that connects tagged animals with the International Space Station. A study published on Trends in ecology and evolutionApril 1, 2022, describes what this alternative Internet could look like, made up of guard animals capable of transmitting a wealth of data worldwide and in real time. First step: take 100,000 animals to test this ambitious project.
A sunbird, a pioneer in “Animal Internet”
This system was proven for the first time in September 2020, thanks to a sunflower. While the bird, equipped with a beacon in Belarus, made its migratory flight towards Albania, it flew towards the ISS, which then passed above, at an altitude of about 410 kilometers. It was the recipient of the International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space (ICARUS), located on a Russian module of the ISS, which retrieved data on the sun’s location and most recent come and go. The data file was then transferred to Earth. This 223-byte reception opened up a new era of space-tagged animal detection: This is the first time a bird tag has sent its data to the ISS.
This digital technology is inspired by the Internet of Things (IoT), or Web of Things, a term that refers to all physical objects connected to the Internet (clock, glasses, car). It is capable of transmitting the position and behavior of several equipped species and can provide the opportunity to follow the movements of thousands of animals. Thanks to ever smaller transmitters, 3 to 4 grams for recent generations and above all cheap, nearly $ 100 each, one could imagine tagging tens of thousands of species each year to build what ICARUS calls the “animal internet”. “.
100,000 animals in the test campaign
To promote this network, the ICARUS project, led by Russian and German scientists, launched the international campaign “100,000 Guard Animals”. The goal: to tag 100,000 individuals of about 500 different species who will be able to transmit their data to a receiver module located on the ISS and able to retransmit them almost instantly to Earth. Based on past experience with ICARUS, the study suggests that wildlife organizations, non-governmental organizations, scientists, and birdwatchers would perform the majority of the rollout of powered transmitters.
Marking so many animals will not be easy, but the team hopes that with the lower cost of transmitters, traditional methods of satellite tracking will be a disadvantage. In fact, labeling 50,000 animals a year would cost a maximum of 15 million euros, ie. “a small fraction of the typical cost” other environmental satellite missions, according to the researchers.
Real-time biological monitoring
It has been repeatedly reported that certain animals change their behavior and anticipate, for example, that a storm or an earthquake is approaching. Valuable information for monitoring the environment that could be exploited through a huge biolocation network that connects tagged animals with the International Space Station. A study published on Trends in ecology and evolution1eh April 2022 describes what this alternative internet might look like, consisting of guard animals capable of transmitting a wealth of data worldwide and in real time. First step: take 100,000 animals to test this ambitious project.
A sunbird, a pioneer in “Animal Internet”
This system was proven for the first time in September 2020, thanks to a sunflower. While the bird, equipped with a beacon in Belarus, made its migratory flight towards Albania, it flew towards the ISS, which then passed above, at an altitude of about 410 kilometers. It was the recipient of the International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space (ICARUS), located on a Russian module of the ISS, which retrieved data on the sun’s location and most recent come and go. The data file was then transferred to Earth. This reception of only 223 bytes opened a new era of detection from the space of tagged animals: This is the first time a bird tag is sending its data to the ISS.
This digital technology is inspired by the Internet of Things (IoT), or Web of Things, a term that refers to all physical objects connected to the Internet (clock, glasses, car). It is capable of transmitting the position and behavior of several equipped species and can provide the opportunity to follow the movements of thousands of animals. Thanks to ever smaller transmitters, 3 to 4 grams for recent generations and above all cheap, nearly $ 100 each, one could imagine tagging tens of thousands of species each year to build what ICARUS calls the “animal internet”. “.
100,000 animals in the test campaign
To promote this network, the ICARUS project, led by Russian and German scientists, launched the international campaign “100,000 Guard Animals”. The goal: to tag 100,000 individuals of about 500 different species who will be able to transmit their data to a receiver module located on the ISS and able to retransmit them almost instantly to Earth. Based on past experience with ICARUS, the study suggests that wildlife organizations, non-governmental organizations, scientists, and birdwatchers would perform the majority of the rollout of powered transmitters.
Marking so many animals will not be easy, but the team hopes that with the lower cost of transmitters, traditional methods of satellite tracking will be a disadvantage. In fact, labeling 50,000 animals a year would cost a maximum of 15 million euros, ie. “a small fraction of the typical cost” other environmental satellite missions, according to the researchers.
Real-time biological monitoring
Such data is valuable in more ways than one. In addition to providing additional knowledge about animal behavior and the relationship between biodiversity and the ecosystem in which it develops, animals could act as “watchdogs” for future climatic events. Whether it is an imminent danger like a storm or an earthquake or a slower change like a drought, this real-time biological monitoring can help human communities predict them. They could count on this “animal proof” to justify an ongoing climate change.
Wild animals are considered by biologists to be “naturally intelligent sensors”. Their movements and behaviors adapt to each situation in order to survive: if unusual movements are detected, if groups of animals stay away from certain places or tend to die there, it may be a sign of a sudden change in the environment. Local environmental agents could intervene quickly, for example in cases of illegal deforestation or intensive poaching in areas that the animals deliberately avoid. This system has already made it possible to carry out the first comparative studies on the adaptation of animal behavior in relation to human land use or climate change in the Arctic.
In addition, this system makes it possible to follow a particular animal in case of need. Epidemiologists, for example, by following individuals carrying antibodies, would have the opportunity to locate the hosts of certain zoonoses that are dangerous to humans, such as Ebola or coronavirus diseases such as Covid-19, and intervene.
A new way of understanding nature
The research team assures that such a perspective, in addition to what it may bring in terms of environmental monitoring, could very well reverse the paradigm of observation of nature as it is commonly used. . While observations from space are made by taking images that are analyzed later, it is here the individual decisions of thousands of animals at the heart of their natural environment that can reveal the state of health of ecosystems. This data reception would complement the existing satellite (Argos) and terrestrial (GSM, IoT) networks.
They also add that these follow-ups will help publicize the movements of a particular animal in order to create closeness to the public and help raise awareness of the protection of certain endangered species. However, the team remains aware that such an obligation will be possible on condition of close international cooperation between scientific bodies and environmental agencies. In the case of a decentralized collection of thousands of data, a finely orchestrated collaboration will be crucial.