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Icon-based mobile app enabling non-literate Indigenous trackers to conduct sophisticated wildlife monitoring using Traditional tracking skills combined with GPS data collection.
Indigenous trackers possess sophisticated knowledge of animal signs and behavior developed over generations. However, conventional data recording methods requiring literacy have limited their participation in formal monitoring programs.
CyberTracker uses visual icons allowing trackers to record wildlife observations, animal signs (tracks, scat, burrows), and vegetation data using GPS-enabled devices. Communities customize data collection forms with icons reflecting local species and monitoring priorities. Data collected offline synchronizes later.
Over 600,000 downloads globally with successful implementation across Indigenous communities in Africa, Australia, Canada, and South America. Australia's Arid Zone Monitoring Project involves 33 Indigenous groups monitoring nearly half the continent, detecting species missed by conventional surveys.
CyberTracker demonstrates how technology can support rather than replace Traditional Knowledge. The system produces scientifically rigorous data while maintaining Indigenous control over monitoring processes, proving that Traditional tracking expertise combined with appropriate technology creates effective biodiversity monitoring.
Species distribution mapping
Habitat assessment
Rare species detection
Human-wildlife conflict monitoring
Protected area management
Climate change impact assessment
Hunting sustainability monitoring
Tools: Smartphones/tablets with GPS, CyberTracker app (Android/iOS), rugged cases, solar chargers, power banks.
Software: CyberTracker desktop for form customization, GIS/QGIS software for analysis.
Personnel: Experienced Indigenous trackers, technical support for setup, training facilitators. Communities design monitoring protocols and customize icons based on Traditional Knowledge.
CyberTracker software (open-source, free download from cybertracker.org). Desktop application for creating custom data collection forms. Online tutorials and user guides. Global user community for support. Technical documentation. Training materials available from CyberTracker organization and experienced implementing organizations.
Australian Indigenous rangers (Arid Zone Monitoring), South African San trackers, Namibian conservancies, Canadian First Nations monitoring programs, various Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas globally
Designed specifically to support Indigenous trackers, which is to enhance rather than replacing traditional skills. Community data control essential, all data belongs to community. Icon customization reflects local knowledge and classification systems. Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes required with clear data ownership explanation. Respect knowledge restrictions by gender, age, or family. Technology supports intergenerational transmission. Appropriate compensation for tracker expertise. Communities control data analysis, interpretation, and sharing decisions.
To understand more about Traditional Knowledge monitoring protocols, please refer to COMET's Practitioners Guide to Engaging with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Conservation Monitoring.
