by Rebecca Deuel

Field scientists might eventually see an end to pages of handwritten notes and time-consuming data entry, thanks to personal digital assistant software being implemented from Africa to the Arctic. Researchers in both regions are using CyberTracker, data collection software for the Palm OS platform that runs on Palm handhelds or Hand-spring’s Visor. A CyberTracker field computer lets users gather large amounts of data at a detailed level not previously possible, according to the CyberTracker Web site (www.cybertracker.org).

"One of the most important innovations CyberTracker brings to field research is the use of tracking as a scientific method," CyberTracker World reports, adding that it lets researchers collect data about animals that haven’t been disturbed by humans. CyberTracker World is a North American field data collection and environmental training program that combines conservation education with CyberTracker technology. It can also be used with a global positioning system; when the tracker saves the data, the GPS records the location of the observations. With mapping software, researchers can use the GPS information to create detailed maps of animal locations.

Scientists Louis Liebenberg and Lindsay Steventon developed CyberTracker while working with the San bushmen in South Africa. In their paper, "Rhino Tracking with the CyberTracker Field Computer," Liebenberg and Steventon write that expert trackers such as the San can greatly benefit animal research and conservation. Through tracks and signs, they can interpret animal behavior and provide information that might remain unknown to researchers using more conventional methods such as electronic radio tagging. It has been difficult for traditional trackers to document their data however, as most of them are illiterate. CyberTracker has changed that with an icon-based interface that lets the tracker record animal sightings, track observations, species, sex, individual animals, and activities such as feeding, drinking, running, sleeping, fighting, or mating.

In 1996, two trackers began testing CyberTracker at Karoo National Park in South Africa. Liebenberg and Steventon report that despite being unable to read or write, the trackers quickly learned to use the field computer and upload the data themselves. Researchers are also using CyberTracker software in several parks and game reserves in Africa. One project, at Odzala National Park in the Congo, tracked gorillas and elephants and reportedly recorded 35,000 observations in its first 18 months. The CyberTracker Web site reports that researchers have implemented projects on almost every continent.

Boris von Luhovoy, German magazine Palm-top Pro’s editor, told Palm Infocenter that, "Icon approach is the only practical and simple solution given the environment. CyberTracker software enables anybody, no matter which nationality, literate or illiterate, to enter and manage even the most complex data."