CatMap

CatMap
Image Catmap logo 800 x 360.jpg
Project CatMap
Group MAIN Trust NZ
Topic Threats to biodiversity, Natural history
Resources online yes
School sessions yes
Level Primary, Intermediate
Phil Bendle pages Cats (Feral) Felis catus
Web address https://main.net.nz
Location New Plymouth, Taranaki

Project Overview[edit | edit source]

CatMap' is a Participatory Science Project with Curious Minds, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. This project built upon the work done by the Taranaki Furbabies cat-tracking project, and the Victoria University project 'Cat Tracker'. School children tracked their cats with GPS units[1], [2], [3]and analysed where the cats went. CatMap focused on the areas adjacent to native bush to determine cats' preferred habitat

Visit the Taranaki Furbabies cat-tracking project.

Partners in 'CatMap'[edit | edit source]

Welbourn School, New Plymouth

Inglewood Primary School

MAIN Trust NZ, Dr Dawn Mills (NP Vet Group), Dr Heidy Kikillus (VUW Cat Tracker NZ)

Information technology:[edit | edit source]

  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS): QGIS was used to visualise the GPS tracking data:
    • 'Time Manager' was used to show the day/night movements of cats
    • Sentinel-2 satellite imagery was used to define preferred habitats
  • Camtesia Studio recorded the QGIS screen and produced the mp4 videos

Resources:[edit | edit source]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

cat range
Ron and Bellatrix live at the same house, but Ron roams
Welbourn fun

Charlie range and distance.jpg

Project Report[edit | edit source]

CatMap report 2019 07 31.pdf

Resources[edit | edit source]

http://www.datamap.co.nz/education/course/view.php?id=8

Radio New Zealand - interview about the CatMap project January 2020 with slide-show and transcript.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. sciBRIGHT "How does GPS work?"
  2. High School Earth Science
  3. Unfa - how a GPS works