An IoT prototype to mitigate human-wildlife conflict
| dc.contributor.author | Thuo, Ng'ang'a Thuo | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-06-07T11:58:17Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-06-07T11:58:17Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021 | |
| dc.description | Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Science in Information Technology at Strathmore University | |
| dc.description.abstract | Due to the accelerated population growth in Kenya and around the world, pressure on and competition for resources in game parks, ranches, conservancies and game reserves has grown tremendously. This has led to the reduction of wildlife in terms of population due to poaching and territory invasions by both domestic animals and human beings. This problem calls for a technological solution to mitigate the constant conflict between wild animals and human beings. The eventual fallout from this conflict, if it were allowed to persist, would be the extinction of important flora and fauna that contributes a great deal to natural ecosystems vital for the survival of the human race, the habitability of the planet and the sustenance of economies which gain from the existence of unique wild animals and plants through tourism and scientific research into wildlife. The main objective of this research is to mitigate human-wildlife conflict by developing a prototype that combines web, loT and SMS technologies. In addition, this research also applies the Rapid Application Development methodology to develop and test a sensor-based system for monitoring animal activity in human-wildlife conflict prone areas through Internet of Things. Its physical architecture consists of an Arduino microcontroller, a Wi-Fi shield a breadboard and a motion sensor. In this architecture, the Arduino microcontroller powers the Wi-Fi shield which then connects to an available access point and in so doing, the internet. The motion sensor detects motion data and sends it to the Wi-Fi shield. The logic for this process is written and compiled into the Arduino microcontroller and Wi-Fi shield via a C++ program. The data is sent via the HTTP protocol to an A WS lambda function written in python processes this data. Once the data is processed, an SMS is triggered and sent to registered phone numbers to warn them of imminent conflict and advise on steps to take. The SMS message also helps the recipients to plan better and deploy resources in a more organised fashion to areas where conflict is rife. This solution is also low cost, accurate and can be implemented at scale along boundary areas. The results in this research show that it is possible to combine web, SMS and loT technologies to successfully mitigate and reduce human-wildlife conflict. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11071/13287 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Strathmore University | |
| dc.title | An IoT prototype to mitigate human-wildlife conflict | |
| dc.type | Thesis |