Cybercom puts an entire rainforest online
– Connects all the animals in Universeum's rainforest to learn more about their behaviour and protect them from theft.
IT consultancy Cybercom has launched a major project together with the Universeum science centre in Gothenburg. The project is to connect all the animals that live in Universeum's artificial rainforest to the internet using RFID chips and Bluetooth transmitters.
This is being done in order to learn about the behaviours of different species, such as which other species they interact with, where they fetch food and nesting material, and to monitor their weight.
Another aspect is that the staff at Universeum can be alerted if an animal leaves a certain area, for example if a visitor tries to remove animals from the rainforest. This was exactly what happened in May last year, when a visitor removed a rare toucan from Universeum.
"There was a big scene when Toucan Georgina disappeared from our rainforest. Fortunately, she was recovered in good condition, but the incident shows how important it is for us to keep track of our animals' movements, both within and outside the rainforest," says Jan Westin, Chief Scientist at Universeum.
In total there are some 60 different animal species, including monkeys, birds and reptiles, which will be marked with RFID chips and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) rings.
As part of this project, Cybercom will also position Bluetooth transmitters, known as iBeacons, in the rainforest that can send updated information to visitors' mobile phones about, for example, what animals are close to their location and facts about the various animals.
"Once this project is completed, we will be able to learn much more about all these fascinating animals and their behaviours, and visitors to Universeum will get a whole new experience thanks to all the iBeacons. Our hope is obviously that even more people will be inspired by science, engineering and technology through this," says Henrik Hallgren, Business Unit Manager at Cybercom.
For further information, please contact:
Henrik Hallgren, Business Unit Manager, Cybercom +46 72 566 09 29
Jan Westin, Chief Scientist, Universeum +46 70 996 76 01
Kristina Cato, Communications Director and IR Manager, Cybercom +46 708 64 47 02
About Cybercom
Cybercom is an IT consulting company that assists leading companies and organisations to benefit from the opportunities of the connected world. The company’s areas of expertise span the entire ecosystem of communications services. Cybercom’s domestic market is the Nordic region, and in addition the company offers global delivery capacity for local and international business. Cybercom was founded in 1995 and has been quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm exchange since 1999. Read more at www.cybercom.com
About Universeum
Universeum is the Nordic region's most visited science centre and one of the biggest attractions in Sweden. Our mission is to positively influence young people's attitudes to science, engineering and mathematics so that more people choose to study and work in these fields.
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