Guardian Platform
The Guardian platform and devices were developed to detect the sounds of chainsaws and other threats to forest environments. The devices began as repurposed smartphones fitted with a microphone, battery packs, and solar panels to record and send data to a cloud system to be analysed by AI. If sounds of logging or poaching were identified, alerts were sent to rangers on the ground.
The technology has received popular media coverage since Topher White and colleagues launched it in 2013. Still, socio-political questions remain around the implementation of technological 'solutions' developed in the Global North for largely Global South forest contexts. At the same time, these devices have the potential to implement surveillance systems that can have multiple impacts on local communities.