Monitoring Endangered Species from Space - A First Application of ICARUS Technology for Long-Term High-Resolution Tracking of Cryptic Animals

2017 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K15054
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Vincenot C.E. 京都大学, 情報学研究科, 助教 (80751908)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: biologging / animal tracking / space station / mammal / fruit bat / endangered species

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

The project has been significantly slowed down due to delays in the deployment of the ICARUS tracking technology on which this study entirely relies (see below). Due to these external problems on which we had no control (and not particular to this project but impacting all ICARUS-based projects worldwide), the ICARUS system has not yet been operational and it has been obviously impossible for us to undertake the animal captures and ICARUS tracker deployment campaigns as initially scheduled.

We have, however, already undertaken all the preparations for the aforementioned campaigns. We have established close working relations with on-site collaborators and arranged all logistical aspects of the future fieldwork. We have also performed one preliminary fieldtrip to Ishigaki to capture fruit bats and assess collar designs for the future ICARUS tags (using dummy models). Moreover, we have deployed standard GPS loggers including accelerometers, thereby mimicking as closely as possible the type of data produced by ICARUS, to collect preliminary data and already study the data processing pipeline that will be needed to fast-track data analysis once ICARUS technology is operational in the following months.

Finally, we have met in person with the core team of ICARUS on two occasions (October 2017 and March 2018) to keep closely informed on the progress of the space launches and technology deployment. We have also insured that we would get ICARUS tags as soon as possible once these will have entered the first line of production.

Current Status of Research Progress

4: Progress in research has been delayed.

Reason

Reasons are external to the present work. This project is a pilot step integrated into the frame of the much larger international ICARUS project and thus entirely relies on ICARUS tracking to start operation. The deployment of this new space technology into the International Space Station (ISS) was strongly delayed due to technical issues with the Russian Soyuz 2-1A rocket, which was schedule to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome last summer but in fact ended up delivering the full payload (receiver and antenna) into space in two steps as late as February 2018. Consequently, the system is not yet operational on the ISS and we will be able to deploy the first tags only during the next fiscal year.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

We will be provided with the first version of ICARUS tags by the ICARUS team around (or shortly before) summer 2018. We have then prepared everything to be able to undertake promptly the animal captures and tag deployments of this new technology on our fruit bats. The capture campaigns will take place as soon as we get the ICARUS tags and will be performed in a quasi-continuous way to make up for the time lost (see above). Our work schedules have been re-arranged accordingly. Thus, we still intend to have solid results at the end of this Kaken Hi project, even if follow up funding will certainly be necessary to finalize and extend this pioneering work.

Causes of Carryover

Much less budget than expected was used, due to the delay in start of operation of ICARUS technology on which this project relies (see previous relevant remarks). As a consequence, the ICARUS tags could not yet be purchased, and the capture campaigns (resulting in planned travel expenses) could not yet be undertaken.