The Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge welcomes solutions that are enabled by science and/or technology, and encourages applicants to consider the terms science and technology broadly. Solutions can include the application or redeployment of existing technologies as well as novel approaches that are tailor-made to combat wildlife trafficking. The Challenge also welcomes simple products, tools, and models. Additionally, applicants should consider the potential for solutions to scale, including considerations of affordability, accessibility, and operational constraints.
Categories of Science and Technology
To learn how various science and technology solutions may be applicable to combating wildlife trafficking, please see the examples below. These broad categories are not meant to be exhaustive nor to suggest specific solutions the Challenge is looking for. They are purely illustrative, and intended to help innovators better understand whether and how their discipline relates to the four wildlife-trafficking issue areas of the Challenge.
Relevant Challenge issues: Detecting Transit Routes;
Tackling Corruption
Examples:
• Tools that can compile and analyze large amounts of data and identify patterns and trends
• Tools that allow real-time remote monitoring of known sources of illegal wildlife
Relevant Challenge issues: Detecting Transit Routes;
Strengthening Forensic Evidence
Examples:
- Affordable yet accurate tools that facilitate more comprehensive inspections at critical control points and improve the capacity to identify organic matter
- Systems that improve the ability to verify the legality of wildlife parts that are traded legally
Relevant Challenge issues: Reducing Consumer Demand; Tackling Corruption
Examples:
- Games designed to deter consumption of illegal wildlife parts and change the norms that influence demand
- Games that educate players about the scale, consequences and illegality of wildlife trafficking
Relevant Challenge issues: Strengthening Forensic Evidence
Examples:
- Comprehensive DNA reference databases
- Technologies that can cheaply and easily identify cellular or other "signatures" tied to a specific species
Relevant Challenge issues: Detecting Transit Routes; Tackling Corruption
Examples:
- Technologies that improve the detection of online transactions involving illegal wildlife products through “deep learning” and big data analytics that rely on pattern recognition
- "Bot" technologies that can simulate online buyers of illegal wildlife and enable law enforcement to identify traffickers on an ongoing basis
- Technologies and tools that enable monitoring of law enforcement and other officials while they are on duty
- Tools that enhance understanding of corruption; better knowledge of patterns of corruption at
critical control points could help law enforcement narrow its focus and improve efficiency in the deployment of resources
Relevant Challenge issues: Detecting Transit Routes; Tackling Corruption
Examples:
- Mobile applications that enable users to determine if a product is illegally trafficked or sustainably harvested, and whether its consumption is likely to be the result of illegal or harmful practices
- Mobile applications that enable anonymous whistleblowing related to corruption or poaching or other illegal wildlife trafficking activity
Relevant Challenge issues: Reducing Consumer Demand; Tackling Corruption
Examples: