Save the Elephants is sposored by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) who produce leading ArcGIS software for spatial data analysis. We have written a unique suite of software programs to allow quick and clean output from our elephant tracking database.
Save
the Elephants uses Google Earth to visualize our elephant tracking data from across Africa. Google Earth is the rich mapping application that will allow you to fly through
a global database of Earth imagery and detailed mapping information. We use it to track the elephants on a moving 3D backdrop of high definition Quickbirdsatellite images provided by Digital Globe. All this in
real time! This allows us to monitor how our elephants live which has greatly enhanced management and security of the elephants by boosting enforcement efforts for ranger patrols.
To see the latest available locations of several elephants being tracked by Save the Elephants, download the KML file below and open it with Google Earth. To animate the elephant tracks, expand and play the time slider in Google Earth.
Download and View in Google Earth:
SA_Tracking.kml
*You will need Google Earth which is free to download from Google through the link button below:
Clicking on the videos and images on the right will show you the movements of some of our elephants.
To see a video of our latest work tracking visualizing elephant movements in Mali using Google Earth, check out this video on our YouTube channel.
To see one of our earliest elephant tracking visualizations, showing the movement of two elephants (Sangalai and Ngoliai) in 1998, using pioneering radio tracking technology and bitmap display, see this video[nbsp]on our YouTube channel.
Since 1995 Save the
Elephants has been at the forefront of developing live tracking
technology to monitor and interpret elephant movements. The technology
is constantly being updated and improved. Bulky radio-tracking collars
are being replaced by GPS collars, and STE are now pioneering a project
using GSM mobile phone technology in collaboration with Safaricom.
Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton and his collaborators have deployed over
80 Global Positioning System (GPS) collars on elephants in Africa. STE
is currently deploying several different types, as memory capacity and
remote downloading options (via VHF, satellite or GSM technology) are
constantly improving.
It is essential to obtain detailed information on elephant movements
and seasonal dispersal patterns in order to protect and manage elephant
populations effectively. Knowledge of fine-scale movements, obtained
from GPS tracking, has enabled researchers to examine the routes used
by elephants in moving from one part of their range to another.
Since December 1996 we have amassed a comprehensive database
totalling well over 2000 elephant days. Study areas include the
protected areas of Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves,
Ilngwezi conservation area, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Borana Ranch,
Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Trust, Meru and Amboseli National Parks,
Shimba Hills National Forest Reserve, and surrounding unprotected areas
in Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia, Kajiado and Kwale Districts.
The information is used by managers in developing land-use plans to
establish protected corridors and minimise conflict with surrounding
communities. The relevance of our research is highlighted by the recent
recognition, at the 5th World Parks Congress in September 2003, of the
importance of corridors in planning for meta-populations and the need
to integrate local people and un-protected areas with national parks
and wildlife agencies in management planning and conservation.