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SDEX Shared Design Experience

UAVs for Conservation Tracking

Project Overview

Project Background

Painted Dog Research Trust (PDRT) is an organization in Zimbabwe that strives to protect (locate, collar, track and study) African painted dogs within the Zambezi River Valley.

The founder of PDRT, Dr. Gregory Rasmussen, has been studying and working to protect African painted dogs for over 25 years.  He is currently building a research campus near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, where Zimbabwean graduate students can learn field research skills to carry on his work.

Our sister organization, Painted Dog Research Trust USA (founded by Executive Director, Carrie Culp, in Seattle, WA) will be your client for this project.  We aid PDRT’s efforts in Zimbabwe by fundraising, writing grants and developing technology to aid in research.

In 2003, Dr. Rasmussen survived a plane crash while tracking in Zimbabwe.  He endured 36 hours alone in the bush, fending off lions and hyenas with airplane fuselage.  The accident left him paralyzed with both legs crushed.  Once rescued, he nearly lost his feet, but was rather miraculously reconstructed by doctors (though the surgery left him 3” shorter).  The story of his survival was broadcast on the Discovery Channel in an episode entitled “Jaws of Death.”  He lost four years of research to physical therapy, where he relearned how to walk.

Painted dogs were once common in Africa with estimates of over half a million animals across thirty-nine countries. About 40 years ago, they were listed as a “vulnerable” species with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  Today, they are classified as highly endangered with estimates of about 5,000 animals found only in only seven to nine countries.  The dog population in Zimbabwe links to all five neighboring countries (Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa and Mozambique), thus making Zimbabwe an important keystone population for this species.

Project Objectives

  • Ability to fly radio telemetry to increase existing range of Yagi Antenna (roughly 2 kilometers) as far beyond 2 kilometers as possible
  • Ability to land/take off in a 20 meter area
  • Ability to fly a minimum of 15-20 kilometers (20-30 minutes)
  • Ability to be transported easily from the United States to Zimbabwe (Africa)
  • Ability to communicate with our newly developed anti-snare collars

Primary goals this semester are two-fold.  First is to re-design the aircraft frame to accommodate a small camera that may or may not have real-time satellite uplink capability, and provide power from the battery system to the camera, if necessary.  Second is to work with students at Everett Community College in devising a manufacturing plan for spare parts that can be executed from modestly equipped university facilities in Zimbabwe.

In addition, students will be expected to work with students from EE/CS already working on the project, as well as a potential new group designing and building a phased array antenna system to detect active dog collars, and using acquired GPS information, redirect the plane to the detected dog’s location.

painted-dog-research-trust

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