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Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal
Strydom, Q. A. 2025. Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/25244fab-a7ab-44b5-ae00-7c8a97af3c4f
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613787549335552 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Strydom, Quintin Alan |
| author2 | Niesler, T. R. |
| author_browse | Niesler, T. R. Strydom, Quintin Alan |
| author_facet | Niesler, T. R. Strydom, Quintin Alan |
| author_sort | Strydom, Quintin Alan |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Strydom, Q. A. 2025. Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/25244fab-a7ab-44b5-ae00-7c8a97af3c4f |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132283 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:42.083Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132283 Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal Strydom, Quintin Alan Niesler, T. R. Wolhuter, R. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Animal radio tracking Animal radio tracking Radio collars Radio telemetry UCTD Strydom, Q. A. 2025. Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/25244fab-a7ab-44b5-ae00-7c8a97af3c4f Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Significant effort is invested into the understanding the environmental factors influencing wild animal behaviour and movement. This knowledge aids in addressing animal-human conflicts, controlling animal-borne diseases, preventing poaching, and fulfilling scientific inquiry. Terrestrial communication networks, limited by coverage and costly infrastructure, are often expensive and difficult to maintain in remote areas. With reduced costs and wide coverage, Direct-to Satellite IoT (DtS IoT) communication offers a promising alternative. This thesis explores integrating satellite communication into a wildlife monitoring sensor network aimed at conservation. The study utilizes the Argos satellite constellation, comprising nine active Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites dedicated to global environmental data collection. The Argos system’s coverage was evaluated with transmitters deployed in areas with varying horizon profiles, revealing that terrain significantly affects transmission success, with elevated horizons reducing satellite visibility. The highest success rates occur with satellites above 20° elevation, yet more than half the satellite passes are below 10°. Since the Argos satellite system currently only support uplink for IoT platforms, and the satellites are not continuously in line of sight closer to the equator, it is necessary to investigate a transmission strategy to improve communication success. A transmission strategy is proposed and simulated to gauge performance relating to success rate, time to delivery and power usage. Through simulations, the proposed strategy was found to improve the likelihood of transmitting while a satellite is in view by 20%. Furthermore, the proportion of transmissions occurring with satellites above 20° elevation can more than double. A transmission strategy was proposed to address the Argos system’s uplink-only limitation and inconsistent visibility, especially near the equator. Through simulations, the proposed strategy was found to improve the likelihood of transmitting while a satellite is in view by 20%. Furthermore, the proportion of transmissions occurring with satellites above 20° elevation can more than double. Other aspects, such as time to delivery and power usage is also analysed. It was seen that increasing the transmission power from 250mW to 1000mW does not significantly influence the transmission success, and neither does it significantly impact on the battery life since the short transmission bursts happen very infrequent. Overall, this thesis contributes to satellite-enabled conservation technology, offering practical insights into transmitter performance in varying conditions and proposing enhanced transmission strategies for improved resource management. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Aansienlike moeite word gedoen om die omgewingsfaktore wat wilde diere se gedrag en beweging be¨ınvloed te verstaan. Hierdie kennis help met aanspreking van dier-menskonflikte, die beheer van diere-oordraagbare-siektes, die voorkoming van stropery en die vervulling van wetenskaplike nuuskierigheid. Terrestri¨ele kommunikasienetwerke is beperk deur dekking en is dikwels duur en moeilik om in afgele¨e gebiede in stand te hou. Met verminderde koste en wye dekking bied Direk-na-Satelliet Internet van Dinge (DtS IoT) kommunikasie ’n belowende alternatief. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die integrasie van satellietkommunikasie in ’n wildmonitering-sensornetwerk gemik op natuurbewaring. Die studie maak gebruik van die Argos-satellietkonstellasie, ’n globale omgewingsdatainsamelings netwerk wat bestaan uit nege Laag Aarde Wentelbaan (LEO)-satelliete. Die Argos-stelsel se dekking is ge¨evalueer deur om senders te ontplooi in gebiede met wisselende horisonprofiele. Die bevindinge in hierdie tesis dui aan dat die transmissiesukseskoers wesenlik deur die terreinprofiel be¨ınvloed word, waar verhoogde horisonne wat satellietsigbaarheid verminder. Dwarsdeur die studie word die hoogste sukseskoers waargeneem wanneer satelliete bo ’n hoogtehoek van 20° is, maar daar word opgemerk dat meer as die helfte van die satellietverbyvlugte onder ’n hoogtehoek van 10° is. Aangesien Argos-satelliete nie boodskappe af stuur na IoT-platforms nie, maar slegs ontvang, kan die platvorms nie die werklike teenwoordigheid van satellite befestig nie. Nog temeer, satelliete is nie voortdurend sigbaar in plekke nader aan die ewenaar nie. Daarom is dit noodsaaklik om ’n transmissiestrategie te ondersoek om kommunikasiesukses te verbeter. ’n Transmissiestrategie word voorgestel en gesimuleer om die sukseskoers, tyd tot aflewering en kragverbruik te meet. Die simulasies toon dat die voorgestelde strategie die waarskynlikheid van uitsending terwyl ’n satellite bo die horison is, met 20% verbeter. Verder kan die proporsie uitsendings terwyl satelliete bo ’n hoogtehoek van 20° plaasvind, meer as verdubbel. Dit is gewys dat seine wat gestuur word na satelliete bo ’n hoogtehoek van 20°, verband hou met die doeltreffendheid van die uitsendings. Daar is gesien dat die verhoging van die transmissiekrag van 250mW na 1000mW nie die transmissiesukses noemenswaardig be¨ınvloed nie, maar dit het ook nie so ’n groot invloed op die batterylewe nie aangesien die kort transmissiesarsies baie selde plaasvind. Oor die algemeen dra hierdie tesis by tot die veld van satelliet-geaktiveerde bewaringstegnologie, wat praktiese insigte verskaf oor transmissiesukseskoers in verskillende toestande, asook verbeterings in transmissiestrategie¨e vir beter hulpbronbestuur voor te stel. Masters 2025-06-02T12:47:04Z 2025-06-02T12:47:04Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132283 en Stellenbosch University xiii, 110 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Animal radio tracking Animal radio tracking Radio collars Radio telemetry UCTD Strydom, Quintin Alan Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal |
| title | Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal |
| title_full | Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal |
| title_fullStr | Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal |
| title_short | Integrating Satellite-Tracking in Wildlife Conservation: A Review and Proposal |
| title_sort | integrating satellite tracking in wildlife conservation a review and proposal |
| topic | Animal radio tracking Animal radio tracking Radio collars Radio telemetry UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132283 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT strydomquintinalan integratingsatellitetrackinginwildlifeconservationareviewandproposal |