Abstract

USING SMARTPHONES TO TRACK WILDLIFE-VEHICLE COLLISIONS IN THE INFORMATION AGE
Track: Parks, Natural Reserves, Fisheries, and Wildlife Management
Authors: Daniel Olson

Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) are a global problem that results in property damage, human injuries, and usually the death of the animal involved. Our objective was to create a reporting system for WVCs that used smartphone technology. Using the WVC reporter app that we developed, users can now record information on wildlife carcasses electronically in the field. The WVC app automatically generates spatial coordinates using the smartphone's GPS and users can enter information on species, sex, and age class through dropdown menus. The data are transferred via a 3G connection to an ESRI geodatabase, where the locations are mapped on the reporting system website in the ESRI Maps API. ESRI Maps is an excellent visualization tool that allows carcass locations to be overlaid on high-resolution satellite imagery depicting road networks and topography. The WVC reporting system is revolutionizing the way WVC data are collected and used.