Project Description
In the Northern Territory, crocodile encounters are a significant safety concern for both residents and tourists. Croc-Spot is a cutting-edge platform designed to tackle this challenge head-on, leveraging advanced technology and crowd-sourced data to enhance public safety and reduce the risk of crocodile encounters.
Crocodile encounters in the Northern Territory pose a significant risk to both residents and tourists. Current monitoring systems are limited and often fail to provide timely, actionable information.
Our vision is to revolutionise crocodile safety by leveraging cutting-edge technology and crowdsourced data to create a dynamic, real-time monitoring platform that enhances public safety and awareness.
We propose Croc-Spot, an innovative platform that combines live streaming, AI-driven recognition, and crowdsourced reporting to provide real-time updates on crocodile activity. By engaging users to interact with live footage and report sightings, we create a comprehensive and interactive safety tool.
Croc-Spot is an innovative web-based platform designed to enhance crocodile safety in the Northern Territory. It provides real-time monitoring through multiple live streams, AI-powered recognition, and crowd-sourced data. Users interact with live footage, report sightings, and receive timely alerts about crocodile activity in high-risk areas.
By integrating live streams with advanced AI technology and crowd-sourced input, Croc-Spot delivers precise information and boosts public awareness. The platform's interactive features and reward system drive user engagement and data accuracy. Partner with us to deploy Croc-Spot and revolutionise the protection of communities and tourists from crocodile threats.
Croc-Spot offers:
-Live streams of high-risk areas.
-AI-powered crocodile recognition.
-Interactive maps with real-time tracking and alerts.
-Crowdsourced data collection and analysis.
-Reward system for user engagement.
Croc-Spot is more than just a monitoring systemâit's a proactive approach to public safety. By integrating real-time data, advanced technology, and community participation, we aim to create a safer environment and reduce the risk of crocodile encounters in the Northern Territory. Join us in making crocodile safety a top priority with Croc-Spot.
Data Story
Problem
The Northern Territory (NT) in Australia is renowned for its stunning natural landscapes, diverse wildlife, and rich Indigenous culture. From the breathtaking Kakadu National Park to the iconic Uluru, itâs a place of awe and wonder.
In fact, for the year ending March 2024, the Northern Territory welcomed an impressive 1.646 million visitors, spending a combined $2.7 billion dollars [1]. Tourism is thriving, and the NTâs unique environment is a major draw.
But... thereâs one attraction you might not want to get too close to.
The NT is also home to one of the largest populations of saltwater crocodiles in the worldâpowerful creatures that command respect and demand caution. Crocodiles pose a significant risk to both residents and tourists, and that's where our friend Steve comes in.
Steve likes to live life in the danger zone⌠but even he doesnât want to bite off more than he can chew when it comes to crocodile encounters. Our mission was to create a solution that would enhance public safety and boost tourism in the NT, to allow Steve to continue living on the wild side⌠without too much danger!
Data
To develop a solution for thrill-seekers like Steveâand for the safety of all tourists and localsâwe had to first dive into the data. Our journey started by analysing data from the Northern Territory Government, Tourism NT, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and Tourism Research Australia (TRA).
Data: Tourism
Being an Adelaide-based team, we first wanted to understand the scale of tourism in the Northern Territory:
Examining the NT regions
Statistical Areas (SAs) Level 2 - 2021 from ABS Allocation Files
SA2 data was used to gain various levels of location data for the Northern Territory, to allow location analysis at different hierarchical levels and in combination with supplementary data.
Tourism Regions â 2021
Used to identify locations at the SA2 level that are tourist regions in the Northern Territory and that we may wish to undertake further research into and promote within Croc-Spot.
Territory Stories
The NTâs Territory Stories website was an invaluable resource for discovering the local news and stories related to the Northern Territory for this project. It was particularly useful for finding stories about tourism in the NT, for instance, the following sites provided insights into Katherineâs unique attractions, Darwinâs vibrant cultural scene, and the community events in Borroloola. Additionally, stories from Nhulunbuy highlighted the regionâs cinematic appeal. These stories were included in Croc-Spot to promote tourism in these regions thereby increasing the overall rate of tourism in the NT.
Individuals and businesses involved in the tourism industry
Table 2 ECONOMY AND INDUSTRY, Local Government Areas, 2011, 2016-2023
The data contained a plethora of information which was filtered on businesses in different industries in the Northern Territory (NT). 19 local government areas (LGAs) were identified in the data for the NT. The 6 dominant LGAs were individually represented and the remaining were grouped into an Other category. From this data the proportion of businesses in tourism related industries from different LGAs in 2020 was evaluated, with Darwin representing the majority of businesses across all selected industries. This assisted us to gain insight into the tourism business count across regions.
TABLE 8. INDUSTRY OF EMPLOYMENT BY SEX BY STATE AND TERRITORY
This data was used to extract the total number of people employed in different tourism related industries in NT in 2021, and to identify the dominant industries amongst these. The data for the industry of employment was split by sex by state & territory. For sex, the data was split into three categories which were males, females and persons. The data was aggregated for the three categories to get the overall employment numbers. The data was then filtered on the Northern Territory to get the total number of people employed in different tourism-related industries in the NT in 2021.
Building a service provider inventory for Katherine, Darwin, Nhulunbuy and Borroloola to integrate into our web solution
We gathered multiple datasets of service providers, provided by the NT government:
-NT Tourism General Services Provider List July - December 2020
-NT Tourism Food and Drink Provider List July - December 2020
-Free WiFi User Count by Hotspot Jul - Dec 2020
-NT Tourism Free WiFi Traffic by Hotspot July - December 2020
-NT Tourism Free WiFi New-Return User July - December 2020
We consolidated these into a categorised format based on different types of service providers. The data was filtered by key cities, including Darwin, Katherine, Nhulunbuy, and Borroloola. Unnecessary or outdated information was removed, and we verified that the service providers were still in operation, given that the original data dated back to 2020. This consolidated data acts as an inventory of service providers that is included in Croc-Spot to promote tourism in these regions, thereby increasing the overall rate of tourism in the NT.
Data: Crocodiles
Then we delved into existing crocodile survey data to understand the current landscape of crocodile sightings and captures - with the reported sightings integrated into an interactive map within Croc-Spot.
Building an interactive map of crocodile sightings within our web solution
Crocodile Monitoring Survey 2021-2022
The dataset containing crocodile sightings was initially reviewed and cleaned. This process involved identifying relevant fields such as species, sighting dates, and geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude). The data was then organised by year and month to allow for temporal analysis. Additional steps included mapping sightings to specific locations using a heat map to visualise high-density areas.
Crocodile Location Heat Map
Species breakdowns were summarised to provide insights into the types of crocodiles encountered most frequently.
Historical sightings can be used to inform placement of monitoring equipment. This data is also the source for the interactive map generated within Croc-Spot, ideally the underlying map data is updated as this resource is refreshed and in unison with user reporting sightings, to ensure accurate insights.
NT Crocodile Capture Zones and Daily Count
The month and year values were extracted from the date values present in the data, and saved into their own columns, to provide the ability to analyse over different time intervals. The data was then uploaded as a SQL table to allow aggregation of crocodile captures at various combinations of location and time levels. This aggregation was undertaken using GROUP BY statements and the COUNT function. The MIN and MAX functions were also used to identify the date range covered by the dataset, which was 21/01/1998 - 06/09/2024 inclusive. Graphs were generated to show for the period 1998-2024:
This allowed us to gain insight into the current landscape of crocodile captures in the NT and observe trends over time. We used this data to inform the location of the cameras used for the live feeds in Croc-Spot : Katherine, Darwin, Nhulunbuy and Borroloola.
Solution
We developed Croc-Spotâan all-in-one web solution designed to enhance safety while promoting the beauty of the Northern Territory. This platform provides live video feeds from crocodile hotspots - strategically chosen based on crocodile survey data - and turns safety into a gamified experience, while also encouraging education of nearby activities and attractions.
If you spot a croc, just click! Click a croc, rack up Croc Points, and unlock awesome rewards! You can use points to customize your profile with cool skins or even redeem them for physical prizes like tourism activity vouchers in the NT. Maybe youâll unlock the elusive golden crocâa true badge of honour!
And while youâre keeping an eye on those crocs, why not explore more of the NT? Weâve integrated Territory Stories and local tourism info relevant to our camera locations.
Our interactive map is constantly updated with user-reported sightings. New crocodile sightings trigger SMS alerts and voice calls to nearby residents and tourists, warning them of the crocâs location and providing real-time, life-saving information. With just one click, people can check the exact spot where a croc has been seen and make informed decisions. Itâs safety, with a digital twist.
Thanks to Croc-Spot, Steve can keep living on the wild side⌠without too much danger!
Stay alert, stay aware, stay safe with Croc-Spot. Your ultimate tool for crocodile safety in the Northern Territory.
Visit Croc-Spot today and start your adventureâsafely!
[1] https://tourismnt.com.au/system/files/uploads/files/2024/Combined_snapshot%20YE%20Mar%2024.pdf