The Wildlife Watcher Roadmap

Over the past two weeks, the Wildlife Watcher team has mapped out the requirements, key activities, and timelines to bring our project to life. We’re excited to share that our roadmap is ready and would love your feedback!

The current 3d printed prototype of the Wildlife Watcher deployed on the field.

The Wildlife Watcher is an exciting upgrade that builds on the technology and insights gained from its predecessor, the Wētā Watcher. This new version is designed to enhance and expand current capabilities, with a more accurate and flexible camera triggering system, enhanced footage processing, and convenient mobile app control.

These features aim to make monitoring wildlife more efficient and accessible for everyone.

Wildlife Watcher roadmap ww2.0

To produce the Wildlife Watcher we’ve outlined two Minimum Viable Products (MVP) tailored to specific use cases:

• MVP 1 (early 2025) will focus on monitoring threatened New Zealand geckos. The device will capture a wide range of wildlife, including reptiles and insects, in various weather and lighting conditions.
• MVP 2 (mid-2025) will focus on predator detection, specifically identifying invasive rodents. This version will include species identification, wireless communication, long-lasting battery life, and an easy-to-use mobile app.

Both MVPs will feed into our Minimum Sellable Product (MSP), set to launch by the end of the year, which will enable environmental organisations and researchers to purchase our technology. To ensure the Wildlife Watcher performs as expected, we will conduct rigorous testing with partner organisations. Feedback from these trials will guide improvements and optimization before the product is available.

Our team is currently focused on refining the mobile app, enhancing firmware, advancing data science capabilities, and consolidating the technology onto a single board for a more streamlined design.

The next step involves partnering with chip/semiconductor companies to review the proposed solution and research motion sensor capabilities to reliably detect animal movement under various conditions.

This journey wouldn’t be possible without our incredible partners: biologists, engineers, iwi/hapū members, and community groups. Together, we’re developing technology that will revolutionize wildlife monitoring and conservation.

If you’d like to be part of this mission, please reach out! Follow us for regular updates as we move closer to making the Wildlife Watcher a reality.