Microsoft scientists unveil new technology to give early warning of
sensitive species’ response to changing environments
Enigmatic British seabird studied in first deployment on
Skomer Island in Wales
Scientists at Microsoft Research Cambridge today announced that they have
developed an innovative new technology to study individual and populations of
animals and their sensitivity and response to changes in their environment. This
project is conducted in collaboration with scientists at the University of Oxford and
the Freie Universität, Berlin.
Better understanding, and early identification of changes in the natural behaviour of
animal species is urgently needed as it can afford a vital 'early warning' system for
understanding responses of species and ecosystems to environmental changes such
as climate, pollution and human activity -- essential for effective conservation
strategies.
The new technology unveiled today by Microsoft enables scientists for the first time
to obtain and analyse such vital information in real-time. It was revealed today that
the technology is being successfully deployed in a project to better understand the
behaviour of the important British seabird, the Manx Shearwater, and to highlight
the sensitivity of their breeding and feeding grounds.
Monitoring changes in species behaviour presents significant challenges. In this case,
the Manx Shearwater is a nocturnal species that travels long distances for food,
traditionally making field observation and study difficult.
The technology, which combines intelligent wireless sensor networks deployed in the
birds’ nests, GPS tracking and sophisticated integrated software, allows scientists to
remotely access data from the field, providing a broader and richer range of
information in real-time than has been possible to date.
“Seabirds are particularly sensitive to environmental change and they are important
indicators of the health of the oceanic systems on which they depend. However, their
behaviour is notoriously difficult to monitor.” noted Robin Freeman, one of the
scientists leading the project at Microsoft Research Cambridge, UK.
“The importance of this system is its ability to monitor animals autonomously over
greater distances and more frequently and consistently than previously possible.
Gathering this kind of data about the Manx Shearwater will provide insights into
seabirds’ changing behaviour in light of climate change.”
In the project, tiny radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are being attached to
50 breeding pairs of Manx Shearwaters and sophisticated wireless sensors are being
embedded in their burrows. The RFID tags and sensors monitor the birds’ activities,
as well as temperature, pressure, movement and weight in real-time, while tiny GPS
trackers developed at Oxford University map the birds’ long foraging trips.
By combining the sensor network with GPS tracking to monitor the birds’ foraging
behaviour, scientists working on the project from the University of Oxford also hope
to discover how the birds’ feeding behaviour varies and to determine locations that
are important to their survival. This is important in light of the EU Birds Directive
which requires member states to set up marine special protection areas to provide
safe nesting sites and safe, food-rich feeding areas.
"We recently succeeded in tracking this remarkable small seabird as it wanders the
oceans in search of food” said Tim Guilford, Professor at the Animal Behaviour
research group in Oxford. “The prospect of tying the Shearwaters' movements at sea
to measurements of individual activity across the colony using the Microsoft
technology is truly exciting."
The team are now investigating how the technology can be used in a range of
different sensitive ecosystems around the world, such as rainforests and cloud
forests, to provide scientists with a much better understanding and an early warning
system of how vulnerable species are responding to environmental change.
The technology is among the first to combine a number of features crucial to
understanding the relationship between animal behaviour and environment
including:

real-time, remote monitoring and analysis

remote configuration, monitoring and control, which is vital in locations
where the animals and/or environment is difficult to access

intelligent sensors able to react to changing environmental conditions in the
animal’s habitat and subsequently gather and combine a broad set of
environmental data about this habitat and the animal’s changing behaviour

the ability for scientists to remotely access and analyse all this information in
real-time via computers or hand-held/mobile devices around the world

Use of solar panels and mobile/satellite phone networks to allow for
completely wireless and long term deployment in truly remote locations
“This project is a glimpse into the strategic research initiative in science we are
establishing” said Professor Stephen Emmott, Director of the Science Initiative at
Microsoft Research. “This initiative is focused on developing a new generation of
computational tools to tackle fundamental challenges in science. Our aim is to
accelerate the ability of scientists worldwide to make significant advances in areas of
science where crucially important scientific and societal challenges exist, such as
environmental change and its impact.”
In this stage of the project on Skomer Island, which will be completed this summer,
the team believes that insights already gained about the use of this new technology
will enable them to gain a much more detailed understanding of Manx Shearwaters’
behaviour, and the effect of changes to the birds environment on the birds behaviour
at an individual and population level. Also, it is expected to inform future
development and uses of the technology to better monitor, understand and predict
changes occurring to sensitive ecosystems around the world, such as rainforests.
More information on the project can be found at
http://research.microsoft.com/projects/cambridge/habitats/
ENDS