So much for SpaceX resuming rocket launches before 2016 is over. Elon Musk's spaceflight company now expects to launch a Falcon 9 rocket in early January, when it will carry Iridium-1 into orbit. Iridium had previously hinted that the rocket might...
Remote cameras are useful to wildlife conservationists, but their closed (or non-existent) networking limits the opportunities for tracking animals around the clock. The Instant Wild project's cameras, however, are designed to rely on the internet for help. Whenever they detect movement, they deliver imagery to the public through Iridium's satellite network. Anyone watching the cameras through the Instant Wild iOS app or website becomes an impromptu zoologist; viewers can identify both animals and poachers that dedicated staff might miss. Maintenance also isn't much of an issue, as each unit is based on a Raspberry Pi computer that can run for long periods on a single battery. The Zoological Society of London currently operates these satellite cameras in Kenya, but there are plans underway to expand their use to the Antarctica, the Himalayas, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Filed under: Cameras, Internet
Source: Cambridge Consultants, Edge of Existence
If you're an iPhone or iPad owner, you might have been disappointed that the Delorme inReach two-way GPS communicator launched with app support only for Android users. That's fine if you're trekking with a Casio G'zOne Commando, but not so hot if you're of the Apple mindset and get stranded canoeing down the Amazon. Thankfully, Delorme just posted an iOS version of its Earthmate app that will let your Cupertino-designed gear send either text messages or SOS beacons through a paired-up inReach unit. As before, the handheld relies on its own GPS positioning and embedded locations in messages to keep friends and rescue crews updated anywhere the device can get an Iridium satellite lock-in. It'll still cost you $250 for the device and $10 per month to stay linked up; even so, there's a real chance you'll be texting your friends from your iPhone in Mali, assuming you haven't had to call a rescue helicopter first.
Delorme's inReach two-way satellite communicator gets iOS support, sends iPhone texts from Timbuktu (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 08:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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