BTO Acoustic Pipeline
The BTO Acoustic Pipeline offers unrivalled species identification and data management for acoustic monitoring, and is used across the globe in conservation, management and site assessment. It provides a smooth and easy end-to-end workflow, with free support from our in-house experts, classifiers for ultrasonic and audible sound, and free or scalable paid plans with bespoke data management options.
- Species identification algorithms developed by Dr Stuart Newson and Dr Simon Gillings in collaboration with experts throughout Europe, distilling years of audio recording and first-hand experience.
- Trusted by citizen scientists, academic researchers, conservation managers, ecological consultancies and commercial surveyors, including those in county councils, National Parks and NGOs.
Since its launch in 2021, the Pipeline has processed over 500 terabytes of audio recordings from more than 2000 users in 25 countries in Europe and beyond. Information about free and paid Pipeline plans, species scope and coverage, technological requirements and more can be found on our dedicated BTO Acoustic Pipeline pages. Or contact our team at acoustic.pipeline@bto.org to discuss any bespoke requirements and to learn more about our classifiers.
Acoustic Pipeline Case Study
Scientists used the BTO Acoustic Pipeline to process recordings from over 400 locations in Polesia, as part of BTO’s Wilderness Without Borders project. The area is being studied by the Endangered Landscapes Programme, which seeks to recreate and restore endangered landscapes.
The Pipeline revealed breeding Great Grey Owls at three sites, and improved our knowledge and understanding of bat distribution and activity in the region. This included information about Greater Noctule and Pond Bat, which are classified as Vulnerable and Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Movetech Telemetry
Movetech Telemetry provides cutting-edge tracking devices for scientific research projects, bringing together expertise from BTO and three academic partners: University of East Anglia, University of Lisbon and InBIO Research Network. Our Flyway devices provide an extremely powerful and flexible tracking solution that can be used globally.
- Global Positioning System (GPS) and other sensor data are logged according to user schedules and transmitted via the mobile phone network (GSM), allowing quick and easy access to tracking information.
- Devices can also operate over several years thanks to highly efficient solar charging solutions that can maintain power even in high latitudes.
Dozens of projects on over 20 species including raptors, storks, gannets, boobies, frigatebirds, bustards and gulls have used our Flyway GPS-GSM devices. More information about how our tracking devices are supporting the monitoring and conservation of species from Little Bustard to Herring Gull can be found on the Movetech website. Or, contact Phil Atkinson, our Movetech lead at BTO, to discuss any bespoke requirements and learn more about our tracking solutions.
Movetech Telemetry Case Study
Movetech GPS tracking devices have been employed for multiple years in the Gannet colonies offshore the Channel Island of Alderney, and have totally revolutionised our understanding of how these seabirds use the marine environment. One of the main problems with older archival devices was the need to retrieve them from the colony. Many could not be recovered, leading to a significant loss of data. The additional disturbance to the birds’ colony and extra costs of retrieval were also undesirable. By using GPS-GSM devices, the need for successive retrieval trips was prevented.
The project, jointly with the Alderney Wildlife Trust, the University of Liverpool and BTO, has demonstrated the impact of existing and proposed offshore wind farms on this internationally-important seabird colony. Tracking has also shown a diversity of foraging strategies that vary between years.
BTO Data Reports
BTO Data Reports provide rigorous scientific information to inform fieldwork decisions and desk studies for Ecological Impact Assessment of potential development sites in the UK.
Reports collate comprehensive and contemporary bird distribution and abundance data from BTO's high quality ornithological datasets to identify species associated with the site at different spatial scales, and to put these in wider contexts to identify key features.
