Telit M2M Technology to Help Turtles and Tourism on North Carolina Coast

Telit Wireless Solutions, a global provider of high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, products and services, today announced that Turtle Sense, a project designed to accurately predict when sea turtles hatch and emerge from their nests, will integrate Telit HE910 modules to communicate sensor data with the ultimate goal of protecting both the threatened and endangered sea turtles and the area’s critical tourism industry. The Turtle Sense technology was developed by Nerds-Without-Borders, an organization that believes thoughtful people, acting without self-interest and working collaboratively, can solve many of the world’s problems.

Loggerhead hatchlings emerge from their nest to make their way across the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. (Photo: Business Wire)

Because coastal economies rely heavily on tourism from public access to beaches, business and environmental interests must balance the popularity of coastal towns with requirements for the preservation of sea turtle nesting areas prescribed in The Endangered Species Act.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is located off the North Carolina coast. Nesting female sea turtles return to the beaches where they were born to lay their eggs. Months later, tiny turtles struggle out of their shells, out of their nest, and move toward the ocean. Today, when a sea turtle nest is found on the beach, a small enclosure is built around the nest to keep pedestrians and vehicles away. About 50 to 55 days later, the nest closure is expanded, often closing the beach to vehicular traffic. Currently there is no reliable way to predict when the tiny turtles will emerge from their nests near the dune line and parade to the surf. As a result, closures sometimes last more than a month.

Eric Kaplan, founder of the non-profit Hatteras Island Ocean Center and chairman of a technology company, has proposed a solution based on M2M communications technology that will help predict the hatching and emergence events and, in turn, minimize the number of days when large portions of the beach are blocked. First generation technology was tested in 2013 on four nests. This summer about 20 nests will be monitored using second generation technology.

The design is based on Telit’s HE910 modules, which are incorporated in Janus plug-in Terminus modems. Cable connections are made to sensors that are buried in the nests: they measure temperature and movement. The sensors are controlled by a microprocessor, which communicates with a second microprocessor on the modem, which in turn transfers the sensor data to the HE910, ultimately transmitting it to the cloud over the m2mAIR Mobile cellular network.

In order to extend battery life throughout the nesting, incubation and hatching period, transmission timing starts slow and intermittent and increases in frequency once activity is reported. “Through the use of this innovative technology, Cape Hatteras National Seashore is hoping to be able to accurately predict sea turtle hatching and emergence,” said National Park Service wildlife biologist Britta Muiznieks. “Previous studies have been unsuccessful on predicting these events with reliable accuracy.”

In addition to HE910 HSPA+ modules, Turtle Sense is communicating over the Telit m2mAIR Mobile network - truly taking advantage of the Telit One Stop. One Shop.

“Telit has a long-standing tradition of collaborating with organizations like Hatteras Island Ocean Center,” said Mike Ueland, President of Telit Americas. “Along with products and technical assistance, Telit also looks for ways to create awareness for projects like this innovative, environmentally-conscious solution.”

With over 12 years of unparalleled focus on M2M, reducing technical risk and shortening time to market for OEMs and integrators, Telit’s ONE STOP. ONE SHOP. delivers all necessary services and products to connect assets to the Internet of Things. Whether sourcing single products or full end-to-end solutions, count on M2M’s broadest portfolio in cellular, short range and positioning technologies paired with m2mAIR services covering application enablement as well as deployment management & connectivity under mobile networks and over the internet & cloud. Telit benchmark-quality products and services are delivered with global support and logistics exceeding exacting requirements from customers large and small. Telit’s ONE STOP. ONE SHOP. delivers the Internet of Things made Plug & Play. Now innovate!

About Telit

Telit Wireless Solutions (AIM: TCM listed as Telit Communications PLC), is a global enabler of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications providing cellular, short range and positioning modules; and m2mAIR, managed and value added services, in application enablement and connectivity under mobile networks and internet/cloud. Business unit Telit Automotive Solutions delivers automotive-grade products and services to auto manufacturers and tier-one auto suppliers; and business unit Telit GNSS Solutions reaches M2M and beyond, delivering award-winning geo-positioning products to the broader electronics and OEM markets. With over 12 years exclusively in M2M, the company constantly advances technology through seven R&D centers around the globe; marketing products and services in over 80 countries.

By supplying scalable products interchangeable across families, technologies and generations, rapid prototyping tools for application development, and m2m tailored connectivity, Telit is able to reduce development costs, protect design investments and minimize technical risk. The company provides customer support and design-in assistance through 32 sales and support offices, a global distributor network of experts with over 30 competence centers, and the Telit Technical Support Forum.

Telit provides products, services and facilities to connect organizations to the Internet of Things (IoT) allowing them to wirelessly collect, process and respond to real-world data from connected devices, creating new efficiencies, revenue streams, societal and personal benefits. Join the conversation and learn more about Telit and its customers’ innovative applications on Facebook and Twitter.

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