Automatic radio-tracking with the tRackIT System

This workshops aims to enable researchers and conservation practitioners to implement their own automatic radio-tracking set up, providing the basis for the installation of radio-tracking stations with the tRackIT System

 

Responsible organisers:

• Lead: Dr. Jannis Gotwald (tRackIT Systems, gottwald@trackit.systems)

• Co: Dr. Jonas Höchst (tRackIT Systems, hoechst@trackit.systems)

 

Date: 7 September

Location: To be confirmed (near Tarragona)

Minimum and maximum number of participants: 10 – 25 people

Description:

For the identification of essential foraging areas and day roosts at a species level, the capture, tagging, and subsequent tracking of bats remains indispensable. Yet, manual radio-telemetry is both labour-intensive and time-consuming, yielding limited data outputs. The tRackIT System is an automatic radio-tracking system that enables continuous recording of multiple tagged individuals concurrently, with minimal exertion and time commitment. The basic components of the tRackIT System consist of adaptable consumer electronics and open-source software that has been well documented in international journals. This means that anyone is able to operate their own automatic radio-telemetry system. To enable researchers and conservation practitioners to implement their own automatic radio-tracking set up, the workshop provides the basis for the installation of stations. Specifically the workshop will give an overview of the different hardware- and software components of the system. The installation of the open source software and the setting up of the stations is carried out hands-on with the station components provided. The functionality of the system will be demonstrated within a pre-installed set up and the possibilities offered by connecting the stations to the backend of tRackIT Systems will be highlighted.

Each participant needs a Laptop with administrator rights.

Duration: 6h aprox.

Proposed schedule:

h 0-1: Introduction and overview of the tRackIT System

h 1-2: Hands on Soft- and Hardware installation

h 2-3: Working with the tRackIT Systems Backend

h 3-5: Field Test tRackIT System

h 5-6: Data analysis and Questions

Expenses: the expenses will be at your own.

Registration:

Registration open until 1st August, or earlier if all available places are sold out. Please contact Jannis Gotwald (gottwald@trackit.systems) and Carme Tuneu-Corral (in charge of the EBRS post-conference workshops, tuneucorral@gmail.com) and provide the following information as early as possible:

• Your motivation for joining the workshop (the workshop is for people working with bats, or planning to do so!)

• If you have any experience in radio-telemetry or automatic radio-tracking (don't worry, it is not a requirement to have experience in this field)

• If you travel by car

 

This workshop has been co-sponsored by: