Specifications

Chapter 1
Introduction
This project discusses the design and construction of a device for logging the
times and movements of the Robben Island penguin colony. It is completed
in partial fulfilment of a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering
at the University of Cape Town during the second half of 2006.
1.1 Terms of Reference
This project is an evolution of an existing system in place on Robben Island
to track the penguin population’s movements to and from the island. It was
initiated by the University of Cape Town’s Avian Demography Unit (the
ADU is a division of the Statistics department in the Faculty of Science).
The ADU has a need to determine the times at which the birds arrive and
leave the island as part of a scientific study into the birds’ nesting, feeding
and moulting patterns.
Although there is an existing system in place performing this function,
the device is not able to reliably detect if the birds are coming or going
from the island and it requires frequent visitation to download the collected
data. Furthermore, the system cost in excess of ZAR30 000, which prohibits
system expansion through the installation of additional devices. The ADU
has requested that the system be redesigned to more accurately, reliably, cost-
effectively and conveniently determine the time and direction of the birds’
movements. The ADU would like to be able to install multiple such readers
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