FAQ

About the tech

Question: How many bat species can the system reliably detect and what about those where this is not currently possible?

Answer: The system will detect a range of bats with loud and distinctive calls that are likely to be found in the Olympic Park. As a pilot we will learn about the limitations to use and work towards overcoming these as part of the learning and development process.

Question: Do your devices detect any other animals other than bats?

Answer: Currently we are just interested in UK bat species.

Question: Will your devices record human speech?

Answer: The algorithms ignore any sounds below 20kHz (the human speech range), and captured audio is then deleted after the bat results are extracted.

Question: Where can I see the code?

Answer: We will release the code to the public after we have verified that everything works reliably.

Question: Where can I buy one of your sensors?

Answer: Sorry, we aren’t set up to sell the sensors. However, the sensors are built using open source kit and we will be releasing all the details of how to put them together later on in the year, so you can build one yourself!

About the data and visualisations

Question: How reliable is your data?

Answer: As a pilot research project we are still developing the bat detection and identification algorithms, so for the time being the data has not been verified and should not be used to inform decisions.

Question: On the Live Data! page, are the bat calls displayed in real-time?

Answer: Our visualisations update the data every few minutes. So there may be a short delay before a detected bat call appears in the browser.

Question: Can I look back further than 24 hours?

Answer: Currently the visualisations are limited to 24 hours. We are planning to improve this as we go through the pilot phase of the project.

Getting involved

Question: How can I get involved?

Answer: We would love to hear from you! For contact details, please see the Contact page. You can also help us by annotating bat calls here.

Can’t find an answer to your question?

Please contact us.