Wildlife Tracking Platform
A single dashboard that brings together animal tracking data from several satellite networks, so researchers can see where their tagged birds are on a live map.
project visual
- Role
- Full-Stack Engineer
- At a glance
- 0 sources in one placeTracking networks unifiedUpdated automatically every hourData refreshSeparate, secure space per teamAccess
The problem
Researchers tracking migrating birds got location data from several different satellite providers, each with its own website, format, and no way to talk to each other. Answering a simple "where is this bird right now?" meant juggling multiple portals and spreadsheets.
My role
Built the whole platform: the map dashboard researchers use, the system that pulls in data from each provider automatically, secure per-team access, and monthly billing.
What it does
- One source of truth: connects to every provider and translates all their data into one consistent format.
- Live map: see all tagged birds plotted in real time; filter by species, bird, or time period.
- Birds vs. devices kept separate: a tracker can move between animals, and each bird's full history stays accurate.
- Private team spaces: multiple organizations use the same system without seeing each other's data.
- Hands-off updates: fresh data pulls in automatically every hour, with live sync status.
The hard part
Making data from completely different providers behave as one: some report exact GPS, others give estimates, and the same bird can appear under different IDs. I kept each provider's original data untouched, translated it into one shared format, and made syncing smart enough to never create duplicates.
Outcome
A live platform that gives conservation teams a single place to see all their tracked animals across multiple networks: updating hourly, plotting every bird on a live map, preserving full tracking history, and keeping each team's data private and secure.