Adit >
Case Studies >
WildKey >
More
Project Aims
- Scientists at the Spatial Ecology & Landuse Unit (SELU), Oxford Brookes University, were finding that undergraduates had limited skills in identifying native wildlife and this was impacting seriously on their degree programmes
- They embarked on a research project to address this problem and received proof of concept funding to develop the 'Student-ID' project, assessing the potential market for user-friendly species identification keys
- SELU also obtained a partnership grant from The Royal Society for a project in collaboration with Lord Williams's School, Oxford to encourage biological identification and recording amongst school children
TopProject Objectives
- To develop two species identification modules (one on the PC and one on the handheld) to be piloted with school children to identify butterflies by navigating a cleverly designed key
- To be able to record the species identified together with date, time and position information, as provided by the built-in GPS device
- To provide the facility to transfer this information to the desktop PC for mapping and reporting purposes
TopSoftware Development
- Software was developed in such a way that it supported the construction and use of any type of ID key with little or no change to the program logic
- The PDA output was designed to support identification with illustrations and defining characteristics for each species, using a series of simple prompts
- The PDA imposes some limitations on text due to screen size, but overall, we found that the hardware and software combination functioned well
- Once the species has been identified, the software was designed to allow the user to record the species using GPS, photos, video clips and sound recordings
TopHardware
- The hardware used for the pilot project was the Mio 168 (Digi Walker) , which has a bright screen, good GPS acquisition, and a relatively high specification for the price.
- However, any Pocket PC/Mobile Windows device with integrated or attached GPS would be suitable.
TopWildKey
- Following development, the handheld butterfly key was used for a pilot study in 2005 and was an instant success with children and adults alike
- After sourcing investment from a number of organisations, WildKey Ltd was formed in late 2006, in partnership with Adit Limited which now supplies all software development
- WildKey now produces a number of keys and has recently launched WildData, WildAuthor and WildMap
- Adit is currently working with WildKey to develop handheld solutions for visitor attractions
Top
For further information please visit our partner website,
WildKey
