Scientists develop a smartphone application to monitor bats

Scientists in London have developed a smartphone application for iPhone and Android phones that allows bat-trackers to capture the ultrasonic calls of bats in their local area by pointing their smartphones to the skies.

The iBats application was developed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in conjunction with the Bat Conservation Trust.

ZSL said on its website “the iBats app will assist a global network of more than 700 volunteer bat-trackers who are part of a global bat monitoring programme called iBats funded by The Darwin Initiative and The Leverhulme Trust.”

The British government is also boosting funding by £25 million over the next four years.

It said the handheld technology lightens the load for volunteers who previously had to carry three pieces of recording kit to monitor their local bat species, adding that with the launch of the iBats application, they now only need their smartphone and an ultrasonic microphone.

ZSL noted that the iBats application was capable of recording the calls of more than 900 species of bats which use echolocation for finding food and navigation, adding that volunteers would be able to upload recorded calls to the iBats website which uses special software to identify the bats that have been recorded.

“iBats volunteers are currently recording bat calls in the UK, Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Russia and Japan. The scientists coordinating iBats hope the launch of the iBats app will encourage more people to get involved in the project,” ZSL said.

The statement quoted iBats Project Manager from ZSL as saying “Bats are like a heart monitor for wildlife. Their presence can tell us a lot about the health of the environment because they have an important role in terms of eating insects and acting as pollinators for many different plant species.

“We hope the iBats app will encourage more people to monitor their local bats and make a contribution to the global conservation of wildlife.”

The statement said “information collected by the iBats program has advanced scientists’ understanding of the different species of bats that populate our skies and the status of their populations. The detailed soundscapes enable scientists to differentiate between bats and identify new species.

ZSL and the Bat Conservation Trust are now looking for further technical investment in the iBats app to integrate the microphone into the phones, so that everyone with a smartphone will be able to identify bats at the touch of a button.

Story by: Samuel Dowuona/Adom News/Ghana