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Table 1 Evaluation of the performance of Sigfox-enabled tracking devices (RC1 and RC4) on various species

From: A multi-species evaluation of digital wildlife monitoring using the Sigfox IoT network

Class

Species (a)

Tag type(s) (b)

No. of deployments

Avg. deployment duration (days) (c)

Avg. transmission success rate (%) (d)

Avg. received messages per day per capita

Avg. total received messages per capita

Total received messages

Max. transmission range observed (km) (e)

Avg. receiving base stations (f)

Median accuracy atlas native (km) (g)

Flying, migration, Europe

Black stork (Ciconia nigra)

[E] (h)

1

10

87.6

13.40

134

134

N/A

N/A

N/A

Common starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

[H]

1

42

42.4

30.40

1277

1277

N/A

3.33

N/A

Common noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula)

[J]

18

14

62.6 (SD 22.4)

2.89

34

618

N/A

3.61

N/A

Flying, migration, Southern Africa

Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres)

[G]

17

41

73.7 (SD 14.7)

12.23

609

10,369

280

5.42

21.6

White-backed vulture (Gyps africanus)

[G]

1

117

61.5

26.51

3102

3102

186

3.73

44.4

Flying, non-migratory, European low mountain ranges and Alpine foreland

Blackbird (Turdus merula)

[H]

2

105

96.7 (SD 3.3)

3.30

381

761

N/A

5.29

N/A

Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)

[H]

2

32

60.7 (SD 37.3)

1.89

32

63

N/A

4.38

N/A

Flying, non-migratory, Amazon rainforest

King vulture (Sarcoramphus papa)

[G]

2

27

47.9 (SD 22.1)

1.88

59

118

58

1.00

37.2

Roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris)

[G]

1

61

93.7

3.15

192

192

1

1.00

0.4

Non-flying, enclosure, city

Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) (1)

[E]

2

101

98 (SD 0.7)

13.03

1317

2633

132

4.38

2.4

Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) (2)

[I]

2

191

99.9 (SD 0.1)

2.77

527

1054

N/A

4.39

N/A

Domestic Dog (Canis familiaris)

[K]

3 (i)

5

52.5 (SD 20.5)

3.66

18

53

N/A

1.09

N/A

Non-flying, enclosure, shrublands and volcanic land

Domestic goat (Capra hircus)

[E], [F]

18

213

58.3 (SD 10.4)

12.58

2667

48,005

17

1.30

10.2

Non-flying, enclosure, African savannah

African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) (1)

[E]

30

33

97.2 (SD 3.2)

4.67

161

4850

N/A

1.13

N/A

Non-flying, free-roaming, European forest

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)

[E]

1

335

27.7

2.15

719

719

N/A

N/A

N/A

Wild boar (Sus scrofa)

[E] (j)

12

33

19.8 (SD 13)

1.35

31

370

17

1.06

4.1

Non-flying, free-roaming, Amazon rainforest

Tayra (Eira barbara)

[E] (k)

1

39

88.7

11.26

439

439

1

1.00

0.7

Large-headed capuchin (Sapajus macrocephalus)

[E] (k)

1

36

49.5

6.97

251

251

1

1.00

0.5

Non-flying, free-roaming, African savannah

African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)

[E], [F]

75

104

41.6 (SD 23)

4.69

400

29,991

133

1.56

14.4

White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) (1)

[E]

10

110

57.1 (SD 11.9)

7.23

628

6276

177

1.41

6.0

White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) (2)

[E]

6

7

55.2 (SD 11.7)

15.74

111

667

N/A

N/A

White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) (3)

[E]

51

74

54.3 (SD 24.3)

4.49

287

14,645

2.52

13.1

African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) (2)

[E]

3

148

22.8 (SD 4)

0.98

122

365

115

1.54

25.9

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

[E]

2

468

33.5 (SD 1.7)

2.41

1124

2248

81

1.10

17.5

Lion (Panthera leo) (1)

[E]

3

24

37.1 (SD 5.5)

5.72

97

292

91

1.02

4.2

Lion (Panthera leo) (2)

[E]

6

29

44 (SD 20.8)

4.84

103

617

1.33

19.3

Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) (1)

[E]

1

1

21.5

26.00

26

26

119

1.00

13.2

Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) (2)

[E]

3

107

36.4 (SD 17.4)

2.28

160

480

1.21

40.1

Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) (3)

[E]

5

17

53.7 (SD 26.7)

5.89

54

272

N/A

N/A

African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)

[E]

1

3

79.5

10.33

31

31

61

N/A

N/A

Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)

[E]

4

39

59.8 (SD 7.1)

4.11

151

605

108

1.44

14.6

Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)

[E]

6

108

49.4 (SD 17)

4.97

563

3375

150

1.58

22.5

Plains Zebra (Equus quagga)

[E]

10

133

54.1 (SD 21.9)

19.84

2919

29,185

195

1.87

17.0

Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus)

[E]

2

54

98.9 (SD 0.6)

16.85

1037

2074

83

2.96

4.1

Impala (Aepyceros melampus) (1)

[E]

1

77

96.5

18.25

1405

1405

76

2.58

6.1

Impala (Aepyceros melampus) (2)

[I]

1

114

69.5

32.75

3734

3734

N/A

1.77

N/A

Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)

[E]

3

171

53.7 (SD 10.8)

5.85

971

2914

118

1.37

17.0

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)

[E]

4

252

35.1 (SD 17.8)

7.56

883

3532

N/A

N/A

N/A

  1. (a) Species are listed multiple times if tracked in multiple projects, i.e. different environments; (b) tag types are described in Fig. 2; (c) some devices were still deployed and operational at the time of writing this publication; (d) calculation of the average transmission success rate and SD is based on consecutive message numbers; (e) distance calculations use the Haversine formula for great-circle distances and are only possible when devices integrate GPS and base station positions are known (otherwise N/A); (f) calculations only consider successful transmissions and are only possible when Sigfox meta-data are available (otherwise N/A); (g) accuracy calculations use the Haversine formula for great-circle distances between the GPS-derived positional estimates and the Atlas Native positional estimates (only possible on GPS-enabled devices and when Atlas Native is enabled, otherwise N/A); (h) ear tag was modified and attached to an ELSA snap-fit ring; (i) one of the two dogs was tagged twice; (j) since wild boar mainly stay in the shade, the ear tags were modified to run on battery power only (no solar cell, a 480 mAh battery instead of a 90 mAh battery); (k) ear tags were attached to collars in a modified form