Innovations to Strengthen Forensic Evidence
Binomial Solutions Private Limited (India)
e-Eye® is an innovative technology that seeks to convert wildlife crime data into information and generate an alert before a crime takes place. This solution serves a number of functions: wildlife surveillance by securing parks; anti-poaching by controlling inaccessible areas; analysis of trends; intrusion detection; fire alerts; patrol management; and corruption monitoring, a 24x7 vigil for wildlife.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence /Data
Stage of Innovation: Scaling
BOSQUE ANTIGUO A. C. (Mexico)
This solution seeks to apply massive next generation sequencing to build a database containing DNA profiles and mitochondrial barcodes for three species subject to illegal trafficking in Mexico and internationally. A web portal will also be developed that allows access to the database by environmental authorities to prosecute criminals.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Proof of Concept
Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal (Nepal)
The Center for Molecular Dynamics Nepal has built Nepal’s first wildlife genetic database on wild Bengal tigers, and now has the genetic fingerprints of 125 tigers with corresponding geo-spatial location (out of a total estimated population of 200). The Center seeks to expand on this technology and develop a mobile phone based application to capture field data and transfer it real-time to a central searchable database.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence / Data
Stage of Innovation: Product Development
Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA (United States)
The Center for Tropical Research seeks to use recently developed next-generation sequencing methods combined with a powerful new approach for assigning individuals to precise geographic locations to identify and track populations of chimpanzees, pangolins, and hornbills in Central Africa. This will allow determination of populations most at risk from wildlife crime and likely transit routes.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence / Data
Stage of Innovation: Product Development
Technology Exploration Group and Christopher George Nicholas (United States)
This effort seeks to develop a very low-cost text messaging and sensor mesh network to detect gunshots, chainsaws, and motorcycles over large, remote areas in real-time, and tightly integrate it with open-sourced, long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) tasking capability for alert-driven reconnaissance. Additionally, it seeks to develop sensors to upload large amounts of in-situ data (photos, high fidelity audio and video) by scheduled UAV harvesting, and a "droney express" relay mechanism for data distribution.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence / Data
Stage of Innovation: Product Development
Freeland Foundation (Thailand)
Freeland is developing an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Legal Handbook on Wildlife Crime as a toolkit for law enforcers to access wildlife laws, including international cooperation, mutual legal assistance, anti-money laundering, corruption, and extradition laws within ASEAN. Freeland shall collaborate with Legal Atlas to digitize the Handbook on an online, legal intelligence platform which turns legal texts into structured data.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Management and Sharing of Data
Stage of Innovation: Scaling
Mars Omega Partnership Ltd (United Kingdom)
JIGZAW is a web-based software that enables three levels of information processing: Users share factual reports on poaching, link them to other incidents, people, and places, and display them on a map; Users can access the supply chain, who is involved, where, how, and when, and; JIGZAW supports influence planning/game theory.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Management and Sharing of Data
Stage of Innovation: Scaling
New England Aquarium (United States)
This solution seeks to improve the identification of illegal trade by developing a real-time data system that digitizes invoices and automatically checks species identity and origin. This solution also involves creating a tablet-based platform linking species identification to invoices in order to enable forensic probability-based assessments, as well as cross referencing import and export documents to identify illegal trade.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Product Development
Planet Indonesia (United States)
This solution seeks to create a phone application that can easily and inconspicuously be used to collect data in bird markets. Users can open images to identify species and input price, volume, and place of origin data, while they appear to be simply sending a text message.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Proof of Concept
Responsible Ecosystems Sourcing Platform (Switzerland)
The solution seeks to achieve full traceability of individual reptile skins or parts thereof in real-time throughout the entire supply and regulatory chain. The solution uses three technologies to capture the inherent uniqueness and diversity of nature: a biometric image recognition system, a mobile phone application, and a global information system.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Proof of Concept
The University of Leicester (United Kingdom)
This solution seeks to determine species of origin from biological traces achieved by reading “barcode” genes, which differ in DNA sequences between species. While current DNA sequencing must be performed in a laboratory, nanopore sequencing using a hand-portable device will allow this to be done at a crime scene, yielding a species identification in about an hour rather than days.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Proof of Concept
Trishna Dutta (United States)
This solution seeks to improve DNA based forensic analysis by training front-line staff to collect and store samples correctly, standardizing lab-processing and data extraction, training members of participating labs in genetic techniques, and building a regional database for DNA data across the region. This reference database will accelerate the determination of the country and region of origin from any confiscated wildlife sample and map future hot-spots.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Product Development
University of Guelph (Canada)
The LifeScanner solution provides an integrated wet-lab and informatics solution for DNA-based identification of biological samples, management of chain of custody, and seamless sharing of data. This solution, which is based on ten years of DNA research, consists of a sampling kit, a mobile app, and a distributed laboratory information management system.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Product Development
University of Pretoria (South Africa)
The University of Pretoria's Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL) developed RhODIS® and eRhODIS™ to individually identify rhinoceroses from horn samples, though this solution is applicable to other species and multiple regions. This provides a method to obtain an individual DNA profile from any part of the rhinoceros horn in order to link the horn to the animal that it was taken from, thereby linking criminals to specific crime scenes.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Scaling
University of Technology Sydney (Australia)
The University of Technology Sydney seeks to develop a portable electronic nose that can be used by frontline personnel to rapidly identify species-specific wildlife parts and confirm whether they are illegal on-site without the need for laboratory analysis. Rapid identification can greatly assist law enforcement to prosecute offenders, thus preventing future wildlife crimes, and determination of the species' geographic origin will assist customs to track current trafficking routes.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Proof of Concept
University of Washington (United States)
This solution seeks to pinpoint the source of wildlife seizures by using a panel of informative single nucleotide polymorphisms to distinguish populations, detection dogs to locate samples, and assignment software to identify geographic origin. Having demonstrated the power of this method with large seizures of ivory, the University of Washington proposes developing this solution for pangolins.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Proof of Concept
Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI) (Indonesia)
YIARI aims to employ genetic methods to create a database which can be used identify the correct species and origins of confiscated slow lorises; map trade and poaching hotspot areas to encourage law enforcement action; provide evidence in prosecution cases: and provide recommendations to the Indonesian government to update certain laws pertaining to the protection of this Genus.
Problem Area: Strengthen Forensic Evidence: Collection of Forensic Evidence/Data
Stage of Innovation: Proof of Concept