CraneTracker: A Multi-Modal Platform for Monitoring Migratory Birds on a Continental Scale

Low-cost wireless sensor networks (WSNs) provide novel opportunities for conservation efforts. This paper will demonstrate a new hardware platform for monitoring Whooping Cranes, which conduct migrations that extend from Texas to Canada. This high mobility necessitates a multi-modal communications architecture to maintain connectivity. As such, the traditional ZigBee radio used in WSNs has been augmented with a GSM modem. The conventional role of WSNs in tracking wildlife has been expanded to include more extensive behavior monitoring. Finally, the motes are integrated into a complete system that collects and visualizes the data for use by ecologists that study the birds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first multi-modal sensor network for real-time monitoring of migratory birds on a continental scale.