WHat & HOW
The audience I am communicating to is conservationists. I know that my audience is dedicated, knowledgeable, and motivated to make significant improvements in the life of Takahe. I plan on communicating with them through a website, and a pitch deck, and a grant application. Over 100 Million is available in a US wildlife fund. Jeff Bezos also recently donated 100 miIlion dollars, so the demand and opportunity for conservation solutions are the highest they have ever been.
My research is in conservation which is not a marketplace. Conservation efforts are not a source of profit, nor should they be. Conservation is a cost measure to save species including plant, animal, habitat, and human. Conservation relies first on government and corporate grants then public donations. Conservation is not a business. My solutions to add GPS will make it easier for conservationists to monitor the well-being of Takahe without the need to get in a helicopter and fly to them.
SCOPE
The scope of work is to research and design a gps compatible modification for existing Takahe transmitters. The further scope is to create forward-looking design artifacts that inspire and motivate positive action. Population growth and design constraints need to be considered, time, human resources, and financial resources.
First, learning what model and make of Takahe transmitters are being used. Then to find a user-manual to understand wiring, circuitry, and battery power of both the receiver and the transmitter.
SPECIFICS
I hope to design a mock-up of a new Takahe transmitter User Interface that will inspire and inform future designs from whichever company that makes the transmitters. I hope to accomplish long term relationships with conservationists where my research and design can truly benefit an endangered species and their caretakers. The Takahe nor the conservationists care about my forward-looking annual report document based on a hypothetical island. They are only concerned with real problems and real solutions. Conservation is a science.
This goal is important because helicopter fuel is expensive and current transmitters are heavy enough to cause tissue damage. The Takahe population is growing, yet they still remain critically endangered. So far, the New Zealand Parliament and the Department of Conservation are heavily involved Takahe conservation and I recently have made contact with them. The MS Dos island is non existent, but if it were, it would be 2km to the West of South America. So far, there is little resources to speak of besides my own, and the resources of existing sanctuaries which I do not have access to. Some experts have expressed support, so they can be counted as the most valuable resources thus far.
MEASURABLE
There is no deadline for this ongoing project. The only deadline is extinction, which we are working to avoid. So far, there are 400+ living Takahe. There is over 200 Million dollars that have been allocated for conservation of wetlands, water fowl, and species endangerments protections.
ACHIEVABLE
The goal of adding GPS to Takahe transmitters is very realistic. I am surprised they don’t already have it, since my phone has it for over a decade. When GPS is successfully tested and added to the Takahe backpack, the mission will be a success. Because MS Dos is a fake island, I cannot hope to acquire real funds for conservation efforts. To make this project worth anyone’s time, I have identified a real problem for real users that I can conceivable solve. If we were dealing with reality, I could draft a real proposal to seek real funds that can be applied towards Takahe research.
RELEVANCE
Adding GPS to Takahe transmitters seems very worthwhile to myself and conservationists. I don’t think it seems worthwhile to the average American student, as I have observed. Due to wildlife funding and technology advancements, this is the perfect time to approach this problem. These needs match the needs of the DOC and Parliament stakeholders. These needs to match the needs of the class at large. The efforts of the class seem to be in direct conflict with the needs of the endangered species and their caretakers. I am the right person for this mission, though I still need more support, funding, time, and research. This is very applicable to the current socio-economic landscape as there is renewed efforts and awareness for conservation.
TIME BOUND
Today, I can find the make and model of Takahe transmitters. Next week, I can start on thumbnails, sketching, and low fidelity wireframes. In six weeks, I can test a lo-fi working prototype that is a mix of hardware and software. In six months, I can have a greenlight to produce a hi-fi working unit. I suppose that the technology I would design could be seen as a profitable business venture as sanctuaries have a budget and a need for innovation.
