Projects
The first five years of WildWEST teambuilding is organized into activity phases (see graphic below) that will drive our work on assisting field science projects with technology and connectivity solutions. Core stakeholder projects include field research stations in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
Hat Ranch Field Station
Northern Arizona University is developing the historic Hat Ranch facility as a field station for education and scientific research. The WildWEST team is assisting with gathering science and administrative requirements, assessing the existing power, infrastructure, and spectrum environment, and drafting a site-wide technology and connectivity plan. The Hat Ranch Field Station will serve as a core WildWEST technology testbed for the duration of the project.
Bonderman Rio Mesa Field Station
The University of Utah operates the remote Bonderman Field Station in eastern Utah, where several long-term research projects, wildlife observatory work, and seasonal field classes are hosted. Current technology challenges include uncoordinated sensor and wifi networks, and limited connectivity backhaul. The WildWEST team is engaging with a site-wide mapping assessment, science requirements collection, edge network design, and developing backhaul alternatives. The Bonderman Field Station will serve as a core WildWEST technology testbed for the duration of the project.
Nevada Climate-ecohydrology Assessment Network (NevCAN)
The Nevada System of Higher Education maintains a cooperative long-term observatory with partners at the Desert Research Institute, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Long Now Foundation. A collection of eight observation stations in eastern Nevada are distributed across all elevations from 5500-11,000 feet above sea level. The WildWEST team is assisting NevCAN stakeholders with data network modernization, power systems re-design, systems telemetry monitoring, and science data workflow technologies. The NevCAN Field Station will serve as a core WildWEST technology testbed for the duration of the project.
Summit Lake Observatory
The Summit Lake Paiute Tribe is expanding their scientific partnerships with the University of Nevada, Reno, and building a new watershed observatory in northern Nevada. Scientists and managers need to scale their monitoring of native fish and sage grouse populations, as well as improve weather and climate monitoring across the landscape. The Nevada Seismological Laboratory, a core WildWEST partner, is working with the tribe to install fire detection and monitoring cameras with additional network capacity for the remote field station at Summit Lake. The WildWEST project is assisting the tribe’s natural resources department with edge network design & implementation, data/AI server administration, science systems integration, and workflow planning.
Yuma Desert Agriculture
The Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture is a field research station in Arizona that is developing technology-based solutions for smart agriculture. Scientists and engineers work through the University of Arizona to set up test deployments in Yuma, including innovative automation solutions. The WildWEST team is working with the field station to design and implement edge connectivity for the site using a combination of cellular, WiFi, and LoRa technologies.