How do I get started with OpenCollar Edge Trackers?

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On Thursday, November 4th at 12 PM ET / 4PM GMT, Tim will demo the OpenCollar tracker and share lessons learnt from the open source project.

We're back with an even bigger <a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/resources/tech-tutors/tech-tutors-season-three" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">third season </a>of WILDLABS Tech Tutors, the virtual series that answers the "how do I do that?" questions of conservation tech. Join us on November 4th at 12 PM ET / 4 PM GMT for Tech Tutors with Tim van Dam, who will answer the question, "<a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/resources/tech-tutors/how-do-i-turn-conservation-project-product-through-fieldkit" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"></a>How do I get started with OpenCollar Edge Trackers?" In this episode, Tim will talk about his experiences making animal tracking collars more accessible for conservationists worldwide and how anyone can use the data they gather for conservation success. Register for your free ticket now.<h1><a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/users/tim-van-dam" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Meet your Tutor: Tim van Dam</a></h1><a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/users/tim-van-dam" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Tim van Dam</a> is the Co-Founder and Director of<a href="https://www.smartparks.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> Smart Parks</a> and initiator of the open source <a href="https://opencollar.io/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">OpenCollar intiative</a>. Smart Parks is an NGO that promotes, builds and supports LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) solutions in conservation.They founded the OpenCollar initative, a conservation collaboration to design, support and deploy open-source tracking collar hardware and software for environmental and wildlife monitoring projects. Their goal is that the development of wildlife monitoring collars enters the world of the cooperative, Internet-based community. Smart Parks and OpenCollar publish their development, data and lessons on <a href="http://opencollar.io" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">opencollar.io</a>,<a href="https://github.com/opencollar-io" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> GitHub</a> and <a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/community/thread/671" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">posts in the WILDLABS community</a>. By making the collars’ hardware and software and other information available online, their aim is to attract and inspire talented students, researchers, and tech-savvy conservationists to develop tracking systems that are more customizable and a better fit for use on different animals. Making existing technology available for anyone who wants it also means anyone can inexpensively build and adjust collars, with for example a GPS, GSM or LoRa module, for their own use cases.  As the threshold for deploying collars disappears, they hope that wildlife experts will collar more animals, generate more data, create more actionable intelligence and share as much as possible to benefit the conservation of our natural world.  Finally, bringing an audience with a passion for technology and wildlife protection into the development of these technologies will reduce cost and increase innovation overall. Based in the Netherlands, Tim is an expert on LoRa-technology and sensor networks and has worked for the last 6 years to deploy conservation technology all around the world. Tim also has a love for kite-boarding, climbing and sailing. We asked Tim...What will I learn in this episode? You will learn about the <a href="https://opencollar.io/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">OpenCollar initiative</a> and what is needed to help and build the most advanced and open wildlife tracking system to protect what we love. Through a live demo of how the new OpenCollar Edge trackers work, Tim will show us a complete workflow from triggering a GPS fix on a collar with a smartphone app, showing it flow through a LoRaWAN network into an integration layer and ending up in EarthRanger and Grafana. Tim will also guide us through some deployment examples from the field (rhino, wisent, cheetah, lion, cats, elephants) and talk about lessons learned and where the community could help to grow the OpenCollar ecosystem. How can I learn more about this subject? Beginners in developing and using advanced wildlife tracking systems can start by reading the relevant <a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/community/thread/671#post-2577" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">WILDLABS forum discussions</a>. The aim of the OpenCollar Initiative is to make deploying collars easier so that wildlife experts can collar more animals, gain more data and share as much as possible online so that more people can contribute and take action, so having a look at this data on <a href="https://github.com/opencollar-io" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Github</a> could be helpful. You could also have a read of the first successful implementation of an elephant collar in Liwonde National Park in Malawi <a href="https://www.smartparks.org/news/first-lorawan-elephant-collar-successfully-deployed-in-liwonde/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</a> or having a look at <a href="https://www.smartparks.org/category/news/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">articles</a> and community updates from SmartParks. <a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/resources/tech-tutors/how-do-i-use-conservation-tech-ethically" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"></a><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2006.tb00163.x" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"></a>If I want to take the next step, where should I start? Akiba and Jacinta from Freaklabs have created a nice virtual course that is an indepth guide to "<a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/resources/build-your-own-data-logger/build-your-own-data-logger-virtual-course" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">How to build your own data logger</a>." If you're interested in learning along with other people, we'll be running this course again starting in early 2022, so keep an eye out for updates. More advanced wildlife engineers can start digging into our open source resources through <a href="https://opencollar.io/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.opencollar.io</a>. To use OpenCollar products in the field, there are two main routes to follow. First, you can go to our Open-Source repositories on <a href="https://github.com/opencollar-io" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Github </a>and find your way to producing them to your needs. The other option is to find an organization that can do this for you. Smart Parks is one such organisation - they're also supporting protected areas to deploy these collars. Learn more about this work <a href="https://www.smartparks.org/catalog/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">here</a>.What advice do you have for a complete beginner in this subject? If your aim is to develop and use advanced tracking technology, you could start learning how to work with IoT (Internet of Things) technology in general. Technology community websites like <a href="https://www.hackster.io/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.hackster.io/</a> are a good place to start, as they offer tutorials and projects for all levels. The aim of the OpenCollar initiative is also to make deploying collars easier, more customizable, and their data more accessible online. Are you ready to learn with Tim? Register to join Tim's episode <h2>Learn more about our Tech Tutors</h2>Welcome to the <a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/resources/tech-tutors/tech-tutors-season-three" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">third season of WILDLABS Tech Tutors</a>, our series focused on answering the "how do I do that?" questions of conservation tech! Launched with the support of Microsoft AI for Earth, Tech Tutors is made for conservation tech beginners of all knowledge levels (and yes, even experts can still be beginners when it comes to tackling a new aspect of conservation tech or starting a new project!). Our Tech Tutors will give you the bite-sized, easy-to-understand building blocks you'll need to try new conservation technology, enhance your research, DIY a project for the first time, or simply explore the possibilities! Taking place every Thursday, each Tech Tutor will present a 30 minute tutorial guiding you through an aspect of conservation tech, followed by a 30 minute live Q&amp;A session with the audience.Can't make it to an episode this season? Don't worry! You can find every tutorial after it airs on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWcz3iwCnCqSSu_AQeuAZjhd20lEohiu9" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Youtube channel</a>, and you can collaborate and ask questions in each episode's thread on the <a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/community/group/tech-tutors" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">WILDLABS Tech Tutors forum</a>.Visit <a href="https://wildlabs.net/resources/community-announcements/wildlabs-tech-tutors-season-one" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">WILDLABS</a> to learn more about the <a href="https://www.wildlabs.net/resources/tech-tutors/tech-tutors-season-three" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">WILDLABS Tech Tutors</a> series and other events.

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