A Systems Approach to Developing an Outdoor IoT Network for Wildlife Image Capture

This paper highlights the impact of Just in Time Systems Engineering education on a senior design or capstone project in Electrical and Computer Engineering. The goal of the senior design project was to design an Internet of Things (IoT) network using multiple wireless network protocols and devices for purposes of wildlife tracking and image capturing. A novel IoT network for motion capture was built utilizing low-power microcontrollers, passive-infrared sensor modules, and an IoT-based camera module. The network was studied in an outdoor environment using weather-proofed encasements and Google Drive connectivity. Systems Engineering approaches were essential for validation and verification of the success criteria of this senior design project.