Multi-sensor data acquisition
As wildlife research has grown and diversified, the research questions have become much more complex – far too complex for terrestrial tracking and even GPS alone.
Therefore information – data – from more than one sensor in a high frequency will be the key. e-obs tag offers GPS, ACC and IMU in one tag.
By intelligently combining all these sensors, you get a much more complete picture of the animal’s life and can address much more complex study questions.
GPS
e-obs GPS operates at up to 1 Hz, which equates to a GPS position every second, and has extremely high accuracy, allowing for very detailed motion analysis:
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movement patterns
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migration
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food source locations
- home ranges
- habitat selection
- locomotion
e-obs tags are designed to provide only the data you need to save power and prevent unnecessary data collection e.g. fox in den. e-obs tags are designed for selective recording, focusing on periods and locations of interest, e.g. when the animal is active or in a particular area. During these recording periods, the GPS interval can be reduced to, for example, a 5-minute interval compared to a standard 4-hour interval. This increases the quality and informative value of the data set, especially in conjunction with the e-obs burst function. The user-adjustable burst function allows to record a short series of GPS fixes with frequency of 1Hz.
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direction
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velocity
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small scale motion
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behavior
Acceleration (ACC)
Our “activity” sensor records acceleration (activity) on 3 axes at up to 100Hz in short bursts. These bursts are the perfect compromise between data depth, data volume and power consumption to study
- activity patterns
- behavior classification
- animal well-being
- energy budgeting
for months and years, even with limited power.
e-obs has been successfully using this sensor for more than a decade, which has contributed to numerous scientific publications with various animal species. This provides a solid foundation for your scientific research.
Powerful on its own, combined with high-resolution GPS, this technology will provide you with incredible insights into your animals’ behavior and lives.
IMU
The IMU is an extremely powerful new device.
The IMU integrates accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer sensors, each in 3D. The combination of the individual sensor outputs (sensor fusion) generates detailed information about animal behavior, and allows to finally determine body orientation.
IMU data can therefore be used for advanced behavioral research:
- 3D animal movement
- Flight maneuvers and performance
- Travel & hunting performance
- Formation movement and group decision-making
It can be used as a stand-alone sensor with a fixed pattern or operated in parallel with 1Hz GPS.
UHF (pinger) – Terrestrial tracking
The pinger can be an important and useful tool in the field. It allows you to locate the animal over long distances, follow it in the field, check on its well-being, perform visual observations and “stay in touch” with the animal.