CyberTracking Program

[TeeDee]

Is anyone her part of Cyber Tracker?

CyberTracker - CyberTracker

Conservation software for mobile data capture and visualization, helping to develop a Worldwide Environmental Monitoring Network.

cybertracker.org

 

[Tvividr]

No, but I have used it on several occasions when I was working in a game reserve along the Limpopo in South Africa many years ago. All the trackers had one when they were in the field. That was in it’s infancy though, and so many years ago that I am sure that the software has been revised and improved several times, and that I would have to read the manual all over again if I were to use it now.
Worked very well in order to get an overview of the reserve, plants, most used waterholes for different species of animals, where the different species tended to stay, sleep, eat, most used places for entry by poachers ....etc etc…
A great tool for managing a game reserve, national park and so on.

 

[TeeDee]

No-one? I am surprised.

 

[Broch]

Are you talking about the tech and the software or the Cyber Tracking training programme? I have a friend who is well on the route of the course and certification offered by John Rhyder.

I was considering doing it but decided I probably have the training to do what I need and just need to get a lot more dirt time. That isn't to say I wouldn't have learnt anything, I am really a beginner in the whole tracking scene, but I can't see myself making full use of the training.

 

[TeeDee]

Are you talking about the tech and the software or the Cyber Tracking training programme? I have a friend who is well on the route of the course and certification offered by John Rhyder.

I was considering doing it but decided I probably have the training to do what I need and just need to get a lot more dirt time. That isn't to say I wouldn't have learnt anything, I am really a beginner in the whole tracking scene, but I can't see myself making full use of the training.

The latter - I feel I 'know' some 'stuff' but want to get better , defined and more organised in terms of following a proven study path

 

[nigelp]

I‘m signed up to do the Tracks and Sign evaluation next year.
I competed two days of the trailing ‘course’ recently with John and might do the trailing evaluation later next year. The two elements of ‘tracking’ are dealt with separately by cyber tracker - Track and sign and trailing.

 

[nigelp]

Are you talking about the tech and the software or the Cyber Tracking training programme? I have a friend who is well on the route of the course and certification offered by John Rhyder.

I was considering doing it but decided I probably have the training to do what I need and just need to get a lot more dirt time. That isn't to say I wouldn't have learnt anything, I am really a beginner in the whole tracking scene, but I can't see myself making full use of the training.

I did the two days trailing course recently. I think the track and sign part of ‘tracking’ is more easily self taught than actually trailing - the tips and tricks, and nuances of trailing i was shown and learnt was quite different and more practical than I had learnt myself, or would learnt with self led dirt time. I think the trailing course has saved me a lot of time and given me confidence to trail in quite difficult substrate and techniques to follow ‘lost’ trails.

 

[nigelp]

I just completed the two day Cyber Track and Sign. Combination workshop and test. During the two days we were presented with 53 ‘track or sign’ and asked, without conferring or looking it up in books etc - who’s scat, or what is this or who did this and why. Each person then wrote down their answer and showed it to the person taking answers. The scoring is a combination of gaining or losing points, depending on the ‘level’ of it. A mole hill might only score you one point, but if wrong would lose you two or three - somethings like that, but not entirely sure.
After each question when all have finished John explains what the track or sign was and why, with a detailed description of say track morphology etc. This was very useful and meant you definitely knew what the track and sign was so none of the second guessing you may get when out on your own. Also free to ask further questions and gain some knowledge from an extremely knowledgeable man!
Most of the people on the course had either done the evaluation before or had even completed the 12 day course in the past. I was chuffed and surprised to gain the level 2 with a score of 85%. For a fairly novice tracker this was very pleasing - some of the level three folk who returned (sometimes annually) were only a few % points ahead. It highlighted some (many) gaps in my knowledge and has given me the drive to go out and fill them; and with a focus for what to concentrate on and which areas of track and sign I need to improve on.

I’m going to return later this year, or next and go for level 3 for which I would need a score above 89%. I think that to be successful you need to develop both a good visual method to identify tracks and sign but also be able to justify it by saying for example ”The whatever has shorter stubbier toes and shows more toe pad“, ”the angle between two and three is much more acute in the whatever bird”, “the animals was walking because the straddle was wider and the prints directly registered“.

 

[TeeDee]

I just completed the two day Cyber Track and Sign. Combination workshop and test. During the two days we were presented with 53 ‘track or sign’ and asked, without conferring or looking it up in books etc - who’s scat, or what is this or who did this and why. Each person then wrote down their answer and showed it to the person taking answers. The scoring is a combination of gaining or losing points, depending on the ‘level’ of it. A mole hill might only score you one point, but if wrong would lose you two or three - somethings like that, but not entirely sure.
After each question when all have finished John explains what the track or sign was and why, with a detailed description of say track morphology etc. This was very useful and meant you definitely knew what the track and sign was so none of the second guessing you may get when out on your own. Also free to ask further questions and gain some knowledge from an extremely knowledgeable man!
Most of the people on the course had either done the evaluation before or had even completed the 12 day course in the past. I was chuffed and surprised to gain the level 2 with a score of 85%. For a fairly novice tracker this was very pleasing - some of the level three folk who returned (sometimes annually) were only a few % points ahead. It highlighted some (many) gaps in my knowledge and has given me the drive to go out and fill them; and with a focus for what to concentrate on and which areas of track and sign I need to improve on.

I’m going to return later this year, or next and go for level 3 for which I would need a score above 89%. I think that to be successful you need to develop both a good visual method to identify tracks and sign but also be able to justify it by saying for example ”The whatever has shorter stubbier toes and shows more toe pad“, ”the angle between two and three is much more acute in the whatever bird”, “the animals was walking because the straddle was wider and the prints directly registered“.

Well done Sir. Thanks for the detailed report.

 

[nigelp]

Well done Sir. Thanks for the detailed report.

It was a great course. Worth considering if you want to get some tracking knowledge and an idea of where your skills lay.