Sarah Dean: ANIMA Sensor Calibrations & Power Management

Studying the behaviors and physiological capacities of large terrestrial mammals is relevant for wildlife conservation and management. The current non-invasive method of studying large mammals is limited to GPS tracking collars, which give undetailed data.

An interdisciplinary group composed of biologists and computer engineers at UCSC aims to improve upon tracking collars with the ANIMA (Accelerometer Network Integrator for Mobile Animals) tag. The ANIMA tag integrates a GPS with a magnetometer and an accelerometer. The additional sensors will allow for greater insight into the daily activities of large mammals.

To remain a commercially viable option for research scientists, the ANIMA tag must operate on a limited battery capacity while giving reliable and comprehensive data. A full characterization of the sensors allows them to be optimized for both performance and energy usage.