Old smartphones called in to save Indonesian forests

• 05 June 2013 by Cat Ferguson
• Magazine issue 2920. Subscribe and save
• For similar stories, visit the Crime and Forensics Topic Guide

Not hard to hear (Image: Yusuf Ahmad/Reuters)

A forest project that uses solar-powered smartphones hanging from trees to listen for the sounds of chainsaws could help stop illegal logging

A CHAINSAW revs in a remote swathe of the Indonesian rainforest. Within minutes, rangers appear as if from nowhere, stopping illegal loggers in their tracks and saving countless trees. How did they know? A tip off from a recycled cellphone hanging hundreds of metres away in the forest.

That's the vision of Topher White, founder ofRainforest Connection, based in San Francisco. The non-profit organisation is launching a pilot project this month in the forests of Indonesia that uses modified Android smartphones to record and identify the sound-signatures of chainsaws.

At first, Rainforest Connection will use new phones donated for the trial, though White ultimately plans to use recycled handsets that supporters contribute when they upgrade to the latest model. The phones are outfitted with solar panels specifically designed to take advantage of the brief periods when light reaches the forest floor. Their microphones stay on at all times, and software listens for the telltale growl of a chainsaw, which triggers an alert.

 for the rest of the story please go to the link below

FThis article appeared in print under the headline "Trunk call to save forest"

link http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21829205.600-old-smartphones-called-in-to-save-indonesian-forests.html?full=true&print=true