NU Borders’ BITE Platform uses Advanced Analytics to Support Anti-Poaching in Southern Africa

NU Borders has partnered with the Painted Dog Conservation (PDC), a non-profit organization located in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe to provide PDC with access to the Business Intelligence for Trade Enforcement (BITE) platform – an analytical tool suite to help analyze and track wildlife, look at the movement patterns and trends of the animals and gain better insight into how PDC resources can be optimized to support anti-poaching efforts. 

 

NU Borders is a Data Science and Data Analytics company focused on helping enforcement and compliance operators identify threats and illicit activity in their supply chain across a variety of domains including customs enforcement, intellectual property theft, wildlife trafficking, human trafficking and money laundering. In 2018, NU Borders created the Business Intelligence for Trade Enforcement (BITE) platform, a Software as a Service (SaaS) technology, to assist our clients with big data ingestion, analysis of data using cutting edge tools and using the output to make informed decisions. BITE contains large, open-source commercial trade datasets and screening lists, made available to users across all domains. NU Borders' BITE platform includes cutting-edge visualization tools, an integrated workflow management system and access to hands-on training with our Data Scientists and Subject Matter Experts. 

 

The PDC was founded in 1992 for the protection of African Wild Dogs' and their efforts have increased Zimbabwe's wild dog population since its creation. Rangers engage with and incorporate local communities to provide educational resources and outreach programs for the sole purpose of creating an environment where the wild dog population can thrive. PDC's operations include daily patrols from members of the Anti-Poaching Unit to provide a blanket of protection from illegal poaching, and daily monitoring of study packs provides data on the health status of dogs and their packs, as well as the PDC run Rehabilitation Facility where injured or orphaned dogs are treated before safely releasing them to the wild. 

 

Big Data analytics and real-time analyses are critical to conservation groups who are focused on protection of species and their habitats. Through analyses and visualization of large datasets in rapid time, rangers can quickly see where resources can be better allocated to assist their efforts and day-to-day operations for conservation efforts. Advanced analytics help conservationists quickly analyze large, varied datasets including GPS coordinates from dog collars, and can be further enhanced by overlaying environmental data which provides a holistic view of the habitat.

 

NU Borders delivered hands-on training of the BITE platform to PDC rangers, in July 2021. This session enhanced PDC’s analytical capabilities and focused on data ingestion and cleaning of wildlife trafficking data; how to create a dashboard with visualizations using the BITE tool suite; and technical support of the BITE platform. NU Borders is proud to continue our partnership with the PDC to enhance their advanced analytical capabilities to protect African Wild Dogs' and their habitats.

Published by PRFire