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Big-Data Animal Tracking As an Eye On Life and Planet
New submitter Thoe writes: As published in Science Magazine and covered by The Washington Post, the continued evolution of animal tracking through various technologies combined with Big Data analytical techniques is driving a push into the "Golden Age" of remote tracking of animals and the environment.
From the abstract: "The unique perspective offered by big-data animal tracking enables a new view of animals as naturally evolved sensors of environment, which we think has the potential to help us monitor the planet in completely new ways. A massive multi-individual monitoring program would allow a quorum sensing of our planet, using a variety of species to tap into the diversity of senses that have evolved across animal groups, providing new insight on our world through the sixth sense of the global animal collective." (Full disclosure, yes, my brother is one of the publishers.)
From the abstract: "The unique perspective offered by big-data animal tracking enables a new view of animals as naturally evolved sensors of environment, which we think has the potential to help us monitor the planet in completely new ways. A massive multi-individual monitoring program would allow a quorum sensing of our planet, using a variety of species to tap into the diversity of senses that have evolved across animal groups, providing new insight on our world through the sixth sense of the global animal collective." (Full disclosure, yes, my brother is one of the publishers.)
We really need to extend the program to homo-sapiens, don't you think? That would give us a lot more insight into environmental factors.
I art more snarky, and terse than thou. I art Slashdot!
What is this Big Data Animal anyway? Where does it live? How does it reproduce?
I see a "Share" menu has replaced what used to be the link to read each story's comments. I clicked "Share" by accident, intending to click through and load the discussion. You fooled me and my muscle memory one time. In exchange, you've pissed me off and guaranteed that I won't ever use that feature. What's the point?
I think it's funny, there's a story just down the front page titled "Are There Any Search Engines Left That Don't Try To Think For Me?" I might ask the same about Slashdot, lately!
Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
Could it also track the dumb changes to slashdot like this new share button?
This entire summary reads like a slew of buzzwords. "Big data animal tracking"? "Massive multi-individual"? "Quorem sensing"? "Global animal collective"!?
Yeah. Or, in other words, implanting GPS chips on the skin so that you can attempt to creepily stalk every living organism's location on this planet. Same thing as we've been doing for the last thirty years, but now with "big data" attached.
Can an animal even give consent to have a tag attached to it? What happens when this tag falls off? Does it leak toxic chemicals from its battery into the environment? What happens if the animal eats it? For animals that don't swim underwater, are they designed to be waterproof?
"Set a man a fire, he'll be warm for the rest of the night. Set a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
this!
Here, like this one:
http://xkcd.com/1338/
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
http://www.kimtoanthang.vn/ton...