The Internet of Animals: what it is, what it could be

Roland Kays; Martin Wikelski

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2023.04.007

The Internet of Animals: what it is, what it could be

Trends Ecol Evol. 2023 Sep;38(9):859-869. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.04.007. Epub 2023 May 30.

Authors

Roland Kays¹, Martin Wikelski²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama. Electronic address: rwkays@ncsu.edu.
² Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama; Department of Animal Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Radolfzell, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.

PMID: 37263824
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.04.007

Abstract

One of the biggest trends in ecology over the past decade has been the creation of standardized databases. Recently, this has included live data, formal linkages between disparate databases, and automated analytics, a synergy that we recognize as the Internet of Animals (IoA). Early IoA systems relate animal locations to remote-sensing data to predict species distributions and detect disease outbreaks, and use live data to inform management of endangered species. However, meeting the future potential of the IoA concept will require solving challenges of taxonomy, data security, and data sharing. By linking data sets, integrating live data, and automating workflows, the IoA has the potential to enable discoveries and predictions relevant to human societies and the conservation of animals.

Keywords: API; Big Data; Internet of Things; One Health; agriculture; artificial intelligence; biodiversity.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Ecology*
Humans
Internet*