Abstract

Amultiple sensor automated warning systemfor roadkill prevention

Author(s): R.Ramkumar, Sanjoy Deb

The rapid infrastructure development has shown complex negative impact on wildlife through increased animal mortality due to vehicular traffic, disruption of ecological processes, habitat degradation, isolation of wildlife habitat, and fragmentation of the landscape etc. Among those, the animal mortality due to vehicular traffic, generally known as ‘Roadkill’, has been reported as a serious bio-diversity conservation problem in various regions in India and across the world. The cause, effects and reduction of such fatal incidents, are a rapidly expanding areas of research across the world among the conservationists, scientists and technologists. On the other hand, presently Wireless Sensor Network based warning systems are widely used in different hazard scenarios. Such low cost multiple sensors based WSN systems can be used to generate an early warning about the presence of wild animals on forest roads and thus can prevent potential accidents so presently such system design and implementation is high on demand. Under present work, a WSN based indigenously designed, low cost, accurate multiple sensors based ‘Automated System for Roadkill Prevention’ has been proposed and studied with technical details. Proposed ASRP system will be having multiple types of sensor nodes, gate-way node and a local processing unit (server) with a warning unit for successful prediction and warning generation. Under present study, the algorithm of the proposed system has been developed and software implemented with MATLAB Simulink. Simulated outcomes show that such system will be very much effective to generate valuable early warnings against the wild animal presence at the conflict zone and will be helpful in preventing potential collateral damage.