About

Turning ecological questions into monitoring systems

I work across field ecology, software, electronics and environmental sensing to create monitoring systems that are reliable in the field and easier to understand.

Background

My path into environmental technology began in audio engineering before moving through field ecology and zoology into monitoring system design.

I trained in Audio Engineering and worked in live sound, location recording and post-production. This gave me a practical understanding of microphones, recording systems and signal chains that now supports my work in passive acoustic monitoring and bioacoustics.

I later worked in bush regeneration and conservation fieldwork on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. My experience included habitat restoration, species identification, bird surveys, Glossy Black-Cockatoo monitoring and acoustic recorder deployment.

While completing a Bachelor of Science in Zoology, I became increasingly interested in the tools behind ecological monitoring and how hardware, software and field methods can work together.

What connects my work is an interest in the whole monitoring process: defining the ecological question, understanding field constraints, selecting or building the right tools, managing the data and presenting the results clearly.

Approach

  1. Define the monitoring question

    Identify what needs to be observed, which decision the evidence should support and what level of detail is genuinely useful.

  2. Design for the field

    Account for power, weather, communications, servicing intervals and the people responsible for deploying and maintaining the system.

  3. Close the data loop

    Plan data transfer, storage, validation, visualisation and analysis alongside the hardware so observations become usable data rather than stored files.

Working principles

  • Usefulness in the field matters more than technical novelty.
  • Field testing should begin early enough to influence the design.
  • Local data storage and clear failure states are essential in remote deployments.
  • Interfaces are part of the monitoring method, not an afterthought.
  • Automation should remain reviewable and transparent about uncertainty.
  • Clear systems are easier for teams to operate, diagnose and improve.

Capabilities

Ecology and monitoring

Passive acoustic monitoringAvian monitoringBush regenerationHabitat restorationEnvironmental sensor deploymentField surveys

Software and data

R and R ShinyPythonJavaScript and TypeScriptReactAPIs and data pipelinesDocker and GitData visualisation

GIS and remote sensing

ArcGISSpatial ecologyMultispectral imageryVegetation and habitat assessment

Embedded systems

ESP32Embedded C/C++PCB designLow-power systemsEnvironmental sensorsESP-NOW, Wi-Fi and cellular communicationsRTC scheduling

Bioacoustics and AI

BirdNET AnalyzerRaven ProAutomated acoustic detectionLong-duration ecological audioMicrophone systemsEdge AI prototypes

Next

See how this translates into project work.

The project pages separate the problem, my technical contribution and current development status.

Explore projectsContact me