A workshop will be conducted to identify the approaches, designs, infrastructure, and research opportunities for remote sensing of animal tracking and physiological sensing. Tracking the location of individual animals is basic to addressing many ecological, evolutionary, and conservation questions. Similarly, tracking the physiological state of an animal in the wild is key in understanding individual behavioral responses to environmental changes. Fundamental discoveries in these areas are hampered, in part, by technical limitations in the ability to track animals. These limitations include the accuracy, frequency, and duration of data collection, the size of animals that can be tracked, and the ability to register data in real time. Advances in the fields of engineering, communications, and information technologies have the potential to overcome these limitations and therefore advance the scientific questions that can be addressed. It has been nearly a decade since experts in these fields have convened a meeting. With the rapid explosion of sensor technologies and cyberinfrastructure, it is critical that these groups convene a meeting to be knowledgeable about these advances. The workshop will provide the first opportunity for scientists interested in animal tracking and animal physiological sensing to interact. The workshop will explicitly address challenges and opportunities for incorporating animal sensing into dynamical national observatory networks such as the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).
