A ‘smart collar’ on a nearby zebra could help fight against rhino poaching
MTN and IBM are introducing collars for prey animals, which help combat rhino poaching — a test case for new wireless technologies. The collars track and monitor prey animals such as zebras that graze close to rhinos, detecting when the animals sense a threat and start moving around. The data are picked up by MTN’s network, sent to a satellite and analysed in the cloud where it can be accessed through a mobile app, the companies said. MTN is seeking new revenue sources and uses for its network as competition weighs on call and data prices. IBM is targeting a foothold in the market for the so-called internet of things, or devices linking together via the web. "This will be a first of its kind to tackle the rhino poaching problem in Africa," said Craig Holmes, a business development vice-president at IBM. "The project is an example of how IBM is increasingly working with partners to roll out practical applications for the internet of things." Rhino-horn demand has climbed in nations i...
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