'Project Icarus': The Future 'Internet of Animals'

- Future Science-KR Chowdhury

What do tea mosquitoes, birds, animals and sea turtles have to do with the International Space Station? A new project was added to the International Space Station's research list in 2012. Which scientists call 'Project Icarus'. One such powerful super computer has been set up on the International Space Station. Which tracks the motions of animals living on Earth. The project has been launched globally with international collaboration. In addition to NASA, it has received support from EGCH (European Space Agency) and Roscomos (Russian Federal Space Agency). Not only that, scientists studying animals from the entire zoological spectrum have been involved in this project. The project is also known as 'Icarus Initiative'. Icarus is an acronym. Its full name is: International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space. Which is proving to be a very useful tool for scientists to track the migration patterns of small animals globally. Let's take a look at Project Icarus, which is very useful for maintaining the biodiversity of the earth.

Will it succeed in conserving the earth's biodiversity?

'Project Icarus': A Look at the Past

Project Icarus was launched in 2006. Satellite systems were used in the 120's to track the migration of animals. Which was known as the Argos system. But because the system was so expensive, it could only be used on a limited number of large animals. But with the advancement of technology, the problem has been solved. At present Project Icarus uses a small transmitter tag weighing up to 5 grams. In which the GPS receiver is mounted on the system.

The Argos satellite orbits at an altitude of 60 km above the earth's surface. While the International Space Station is at an altitude of about 40 km above the Earth's surface, strong radio signals are available for communication. After some initial delays, scientists finally launched a special type of antenna into space in 2014. Such a special antenna was set up on the International Space Station at an altitude of about 30 kilometers above the earth's surface. Project Icarus' computer system malfunctioned, and the system was brought back to Earth. After repairing the defect, it was re-deployed on the International Space Station in 2012. The entire computer system of Project Icarus was commissioned for testing in March 2020. In September 2020, Project Icarus was officially opened for scientific operation.

The Internet of Animals: Optimism of the Future

Project Icarus, led by the Max Planck Society of Germany, has been launched. Tracking the movements of living creatures on Earth is done by computer systems and special types of radio antennas, arranged in the International Space Station. Scientists prefer to call this system the "Internet of Animals" of the future. How is the ecosystem changing in real time, the main purpose of developing the 'animal internet'? How are animals responding to those changes? . How does space, time and different environments affect the behavior of animals? It is understandable. In addition to the computer-based system in Project Icarus, a large team of helpers is also working. Who can get the details of the animals involved in the project by downloading the Animal Tracker app which is available in their mobile for free. In addition to this, in their geographical area, they can see 'an animal or a bird attached to the project, or they have laid a chick or an egg.' If such information is found, they send it through the application to the team of 'Project Icarus'.

Ordinary citizens can also participate in 'Project Icarus' as volunteers. The primary objective of Project Icarus is to expand the available data on animal migration for conservation purposes. However the diversity of other areas of study can be further enhanced by collecting project information. Currently, the Icarus team, along with NASA and other space agencies, wants to link Project Icarus to a potential micro-satellite link. Not only that, there are plans to further integrate 'Project Icarus' with the GRACE-I project system. Under this scheme, another large scale project like 'Project Icarus' will be started in 'Grace-1' 207. Which will be operated in collaboration with NASA, the Helmholtz Association, Ghanni and the Max Planck Society.

Transmitter tag: An important part of animal protection

An important part of Project Icarus is the transmitter tag on the body of an organism. The transmitter tags attached to the body of the animal work in two directions. They can send and receive information. This also means that the remote system can be controlled by going to any part of the earth. When the International Space Station falls within the transmitter's radio range, the transmitter tag attached to the organism's body becomes operational. The peculiarity of this transmitter tag is that the solar powered transmitter tag is 'turned on' only when the International Space Station passes over this track. As soon as the tag is removed from the English footprint, the power supply of the tag is immediately cut off. Due to which less power supply is used. The lifeline of the circuit is also lengthened. Each time the transmitter, 20 bytes of data, flows in 2.2 seconds. Solar powered transmitter tags are so strong that they can last a lifetime. The cost of a transmitter tag applied to an animal today is about 500. The long-term mission of 'Project Icarus' is to create a group of about 100,000 animal sentinels out of 200 species of birds, mammals and reptiles. Which can deliver updated data every half hour. Transmitter tags are currently applied to the bodies of more than 200 species of animals on Earth. It includes all kinds of animals and birds, from elephants to bats. Electrical radio signals emitted by a transmitter tag are intercepted by a special type of receiver radio antenna arranged on the International Space Station. This data is entered into the computer on the International Space Station by the receiver antenna. A database of animals sent by each tag is compiled into a computer housed on the International Space Station. These computers are controlled from the Ground Control Center on Earth.

Movebank: Uses of Databases Found in Tracking Networks

Most of the data from the tracking network is stored in an online data storage repository called 'Movebank', which can be used by conservationists and scientists for data visualization and analysis. This data includes remote sensing data of weather patterns. Which can lead to the realization of the whole ecosystem. The main use of the project will be to understand the migration of animals and birds in different seasons. The migration routes of birds can change drastically and unexpectedly every year. Whose information can be found in the project database. Another important use of the database is to obtain information about the disease that spreads from animal to human. The spread of animal diseases such as corona virus, SARS, bird flu and West Nile virus can be further linked to animal migration data. But since last September, the team has soured international relations with other Russian countries, thanks to the Russian space agency, Rosnakomos. Russia is struggling to deliver a timely database of Icarus to scientists.

A third use of the collected database is to investigate the possible link between abnormal movement of animals and impending earthquakes. It has long been speculated that some birds and bats may be able to predict earthquakes because of their ability to detect changes in magnetic fields. But so far there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. Monitoring the movements of animals can also benefit humans. Trekkers attached to goats living near the volcano Mount Et in Italy have confirmed that "just hours before the eruption, goats living near the volcano Mount Et retreat into the woods, leaving the volcano and returning to the forest." Such behavior of animals can prove to be the 'sixth sense' for human beings. In a natural disaster, the animal 'sixth sense' can give an early warning to humans to avoid a major catastrophe.