Application of low-power wide-area network GPS to koala monitoring
Allie Richardson A , Sean FitzGibbon A , Benjamin Barth A , Amber Gillett A and William Ellis A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Agriculture and Food Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4067, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: w.ellis@uq.edu.au
Australian Mammalogy 44(2) 287-290 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM21001
Submitted: 11 January 2021 Accepted: 3 July 2021 Published: 27 July 2021
Journal Compilation © CSIRO 2022 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
We evaluated long range antennae and associated solar-powered global positioning system (GPS) ear tags designed for use with domestic cattle, as a novel system for monitoring ranging behaviour of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). The mean location error of our GPS tags was 33.9 m (s.e. = 0.46). The tags were relatively light (30 g), reported eight locations per day when attached to koala radio-collars and had an operating life that exceeded our study period (8 months). Deployed as a stand-alone, solar powered, remote system, this technology can provide a viable option for wildlife tracking projects.
Keywords: fix success, location data, LoRaWAN, movement patterns, solar-power, spatial ecology.
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