Managing large-scale wildlife data using GIS

Great Elephant Census

by Joel Masselink

 

What is the Great Elephant Census?

 

How was GIS used to manage data?

 

Results + Impacts of GEC

What is the GEC?

coordinated aerial surveys of savannah elephant range

covering majority of their range

including parts of 20 countries

Need for GEC

current data for population status assessment across range

K.S. Gobush/ Save The Elephants, 2013

Ivory ban

Ivory sale to China

Need for GEC

current data for population status assessment across range

GEC implementation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a Paul G. Allen project

Vulcan Inc.

Elephants Without Borders (P.I)

GEC partners

Spatial data collection

observations

 

 

audio recorder

 

 

camera

Spatial data collection

flight parameters

 

GPS tracks logs

 

height above ground


ground speed

Spatial data processing

Spatial data processing

GIS Tasks

compile & process data

  • compile survey plan spatial data
  • normalize observation records + flight logs

Spatial data validation

Survey design

  • strata
  • transects

Spatial data validation

Survey data collection

  • flight track logs
  • observations records

tools used by GEC

  • GIS clients: ArcGIS + QGIS
  • GPS utilities: DNR Garmin + GPS Babel

 

tools built by GEC

  • open SQL db backend: PostgreSQL / PostGIS
  • Microsoft Excel template for normalizing raw data

Spatial data normalization

Spatial data conversion / management

OGR / GDAL

 

 

Python scripts

ogr2ogr -f "SQLite" E:\GIS\Projects\GEC_status.sqlite -progress PG:"server
dbname user password table"-nlt MULTIPOLYGON -nln GEC_survey_strata -lco -dsco
SPATIALITE=yes

Tools for database ingestion

SQL queries 

 

 

 

 

Python

SELECT s.code as survey_code, st.name as stratum_name, count(st.id) as strata_count,
    ST_AREA(geography(ST_COLLECT(st.stratum_boundary))) / 1000000::double precision as strata_area_sqkm
FROM survey_stratum as st
INNER JOIN survey_survey as s on s.id = st.survey_id
GROUP BY s.code, st.id 
ORDER BY s.code asc;

Validation tools

normalized spatial data (Leaflet)

Validation tools

key flight parameters (Python libraries)

Validation tools

survey data logger

helps pilots stay on track + records data

Results + Impacts of the GEC

Results + Impacts of the GEC

GEC database

Results + Impacts of the GEC

African Elephant Database

- GEC data + reports provided to AfESG

Sept 2016 - African Elephant Status Report

Nov 2016 - CITES Conference of Parties

- complete primary data preserved

- normalized across GEC

- platform for further analysis

answering questions

status of elephants + other species

status of poaching + human encroachment

Results + Impacts of the GEC

Great Elephant Census

by the numbers:

20 countries

90 scientists

286 crew people

81 airplanes

XX of flights

XX flight miles

9700 hours of flight time

Acknowledgements

Vulcan colleagues:

 

Kathleen Gobush

Kirk Larsen

Ted Schmitt

 

many GEC collaborators:

Thank you !

 

contact me:

 

joelm@vulcan.com

 

@j_masselink

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