A GSM-Based Ecology Monitoring System for Tern－Design and Implementation

由於氣候暖化的影響，地球平均溫度持續上升，嚴重的衝擊生態系統，對於鳥類的多樣性保育更是一大威脅。因此鳥類之研究逐漸受到重視，諸如食物供給失衡、鳥類分佈範圍改變、遷徙和繁殖時序錯亂等均為重要的研究議題。現今台灣的鳥類研究以政府出資，民間鳥類組織進行研究為主要方法，而使用的方法以人工監測為主，自動化監測裝備為輔。人工監測方面，各民鳥類組織規劃幾條監測路線，在鳥類繁殖季節到來時，以人工行走方式進行鳥類監測，之後進行制式表格填寫後進行分析。此種方法通常需耗費大量人力，且鳥類繁殖季節通常只有2至3個月，人工監測方法並無法長期監測，造成研究資料不盡完整。利用自動化攝影機可補足人工監測的不足，將攝影機放置於鳥類可能出現的地方進行監測，待資料收集一段時間後再取回裝置與資料，然而，系統在放置後可能發生故障情形，在資料無法即時的傳輸給研究人員的情形下，造成珍貴資料遺失。 目前市面上有許多自動化即時監測設備，但其價格不斐，因此難以大量推廣，且市售產品並無資料傳輸機制與後端支援，在訊號微弱的地方容易造成資料的遺失。因此，本研究提出鳥類監測系統並應用於燕鷗監測，包含影像監測與棲地參數監測，並針對燕鷗習性設計所需之監測資訊。目的在於取代過去傳統之人工監測，有效節省人力與物力且擁有資料即時性，使研究人員可快速進行分析並訂定研究策略。因野外監測環境能量取得不易，除了利用太陽能供電系統進行電源供給外，利用多功能省電晶片做為系統主要核心，以達到省能與長期監測之目的，最後利用GSM傳輸技術回傳監測資料。因應野外環境訊號不穩問題，本系統搭配資料傳輸機制，以多段回傳方式進行圖片傳輸，搭配後端平台所撰寫之補圖機制，期能回傳較完整之圖片資料，最後與棲地參數進行結合，提供專業人員進行分析與研究。The averaged temperature has risen sharply due to the green house effect, and this makes the bird conservation become more difficult to realize. It takes a long period of time to monitor the ecology of bird, to determine an appropriate protection strategy. Nowadays, the investigation of bird behavior is generally done through personal observation in Taiwan, but it costs too much manpower and money. Nor is it possible to provide long-term monitoring data. Thus, we should develop some automatic observation methods to monitor birds instead of using manual methods Automatic observation methods, such as video recording or voice recording, are popular in Taiwan. The recording devices are placed in a wild field for several days and are retrieved after they finish the recording mission. Such a recording method can provide a more complete picture of bird ecology, because they can work continuously. However, researchers still can’t acquire data in real time, and some of valuable data may be lost. In this research, we propose a wireless real-time surveillance system to monitor the ecology of wildlife that can make the in-situ situation be captured immediately. Power sources are usually constrained when monitoring wild areas. Thus, in this paper, we have developed a low power-consumped image transmission system by integrating a MSP430 microcontroller, a FPGA circuit, a solar powered battery, a digital camera, and a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) modem. In order to make a monitoring system suitable for the circumstances of wild islands, the proposed system is designed with a packet transmitting strategy capable of enhancing pixel validity while effectively decreasing power consumption. Practically, the proposed system is deployed on a wild island in Taiwan near the East China Sea, where is a habitat for migrant seabirds. The experimental results show that the system design is feasible to ecological monitoring and able to effectively maintain the completeness of images with energy efficiency