Strategic Alliance Magazine Q4 2017 - 26

S AV I N G E N DA N G E R E D S P E C I E S

With the design and deployment phase complete, a second phase was initiated to collect data from traffic to and
from the reserve, such as car registration plate scanning
and fingerprinting. "We now have a replicable model that
we are looking at implementing in other parks in South
Africa and Africa to also protect lions, rhinos, elephants,
and the pangolin. In fact, the pangolin [scaly anteater]
has become an even greater poaching problem than the
rhino," Watson points out. "The perception that the pangolin scale has medicinal value is simply a myth-and
poachers also eat it as bush meat. We also hope to take
the solution to India and Asia to protect tigers, and to the
ocean to protect sea rays, whales, and sharks."
In an interconnected ecosystem, the loss or depletion of
one species has a ripple effect on other flora, fauna, and animal species. Cisco and Dimension Data are encouraging
other companies to help extend, finance, and replicate the
model to protect additional endangered species.
Similar architecture may be deployed, for example, for
a mining company in Australia that has vast open areas
of land and space, and no ability to monitor and secure
it, notes McGarr. "You can ... bring that kind of proven,
innovative architecture to that mining company, pilot it,
and monetize it. I encourage everybody to think about
that part when composing something this unique and
bold for your company. Make it easy for stakeholders to
say 'yes,' " he advises.

The technological advancements from the days of twoway radios and crude tracking devices are a welcome
relief for van Oosten, who has studied the poaching
problem for over 30 years and has worked for Dimension Data in the past and with Cisco on several security
projects. It's a fascinating example of how technology
STRATEGIC ALLIANCE MAGAZINE | Q4 * 2017

continues to present new, out-of-the-box solutions to
entrenched problems, he says. "Conservationists are
moving toward greater applications for data analytics
and artificial intelligence, and it's going to be crucial
to combat poaching. The use of pattern analysis and
predictive analytics tools can present structured data,
which can substantially improve the effectiveness of
protection and response efforts," he adds, citing a range
of examples, including Hewlett Packard's Wildlife Picture Index Analytic System.
The system analyzes the data using patterns and statistical
models to accurately represent animal populations, based
on tens of thousands of individual camera captures. The
technology has resulted in 30x faster data processing by
Conservation International.
"We can apply the volume of data compiled by researchers and scientists in the field into new integrated bodies
of knowledge to uncover hidden patterns and previously
unknown correlations between various sources," he continues. "For example, data provided by field observations
combined with aerial and ground surveillance cameras
and satellite images to proactively monitor changes to
flora and fauna and corresponding behavior of the animals-or for the physical and online tracking of ivory
and rhino horn to disrupt the value chain of the buyers,
etc. Recently, these [information gathering] efforts also
included the 24/7 monitoring of a wide terrain using
solar-powered system radar sensors to determine the exact location of would-be poachers roaming the park at
night," he explains. "If we want to preserve the world, and
we want to do it in a smart way, we need more partnerships like these, the ability to assess how we're doing, and
to proactively adapt quickly." n

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Strategic Alliance Magazine Q4 2017