The Roatan Marine Park in Honduras uses new technology to preserve and protect the beautiful coastline of the many islands that make up the Honduran Bay Islands. Continue reading to see how the rangers at the park use the Cedar CP3 Rugged Smartphone from Juniper Systems to serve and protect the natural resources of Roatan island.
The need to protect
Since 2005 the team at the Roatan Marine Park (RMP), located on Honduras’ Bay Islands, has taken on the responsibility of protecting the island’s reefs, it’s various ecosystems, and educating the locals on preserving the area.
“Concerned citizens came together and wanted to protect the natural resources of the area,” said Nicholas Bach, Coordinator of Marine Infrastructure at RMP. “We started off patrolling one 13 km portion of coastline and it grew from there.”
After starting with the 13 km or so of coastline on the main island of Roatan, RMP eventually expanded to incorporate all three Bay Islands area islands. RMP works in conjunction with the larger Bay Islands National Marine Park that monitors the entire Honduras bay area. The largest part of the area’s economy is tourism to the islands. Visitors come to see the well-preserved reefs and sea life. That is why RMP is set on preserving the area and teaching the locals about preserving it as well.
“If the reef is destroyed and the sea life is harmed then tourists will stop coming,” Bach said. “It’s vital to show the locals how to take care of the area and teach them why it’s detrimental to poach, dump waste, or build on the reef.”
Passionate individuals with evolving needs
The team at RMP consists of a group of passionate individuals from various parts of the world. This includes a few office workers and five park rangers that patrol the reef. These park rangers are accompanied by members of the Honduran Navy on their patrols.
The park rangers are responsible for several items while they are out on patrol. This not only includes prevention but includes taking photos and videos of issues they see, filling out reports, collecting data from various locations around the islands, and boat traffic control. All of these tasks in the past have been done by using pen and paper, older cameras, and outdated equipment that ended up having short shelf lives because of the wet and rugged terrain. The need for a more well-rounded device became evident to the team at RMP.
Finding the Cedar CP3 Rugged Smartphone
The park began seeking an upgrade to its outdated technology and was searching for an all-in-one device. They searched for a device that offered flexibility in terms of portability, durability, and connectivity. This need for better communication and field data collection led RMP to the Cedar CP3 Rugged Smartphone from Juniper Systems. With the help of Juniper Systems, RMP was able to roll-out CP3 Rugged Smartphones to the five park rangers. With the CP3s, rangers are now able to do all of their tasks on one rugged device that can hold up to the adverse conditions of the reef.
“Every feature of the phone fits our criteria and our rangers have been happy to use them,” Bach said. “They are waterproof, they float with the lifejacket accessory, and they have an amazing camera.”
The Cedar CP3 is an Android-based smartphone with the rugged dependability that Juniper Systems has provided with its devices for over 25 years. The phone features a fast processor, all-day battery life, a large sunlight-readable display, and carries an IP68 rating and is MIL-STD-810G certified which means the device is waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof.
Additional reading
- Read more about the Cedar CP3 Rugged Smartphone here
- See how the Cedar CP3 is can be used for better GPS data collection here
Improved communication and data collection
The office staff had been finding it difficult to monitor the day to day activities of the rangers. With the Cedar CP3 smartphones, RMP now has suitable phones and have been able to deploy a GPS software called CyberTracker to better track the daily happenings around the park. With this software and the CP3s, RMP is now starting to roll out a much more complex data collection system that will allow them to better map where incidents have taken place and to keep a detailed list of confiscated items from poachers. By using this tool they are also able to see exactly how far rangers travel, how much fuel they use, and whether the boats or engines require maintenance.
The paper forms that rangers use to fill out on a daily basis have been moved to a digital form on the CP3s. This allows for better accuracy of information while reporting incidents and makes it so that notes are not lost in transit from the field to the office.
“These phones have met all expectations,” Bach said. “I would certainly recommend them to any organizations that have staff that operate in the outdoors.”
Learn more
Take an opportunity to learn more about the Cedar CP3 Rugged Smartphone and all other Juniper systems rugged handheld computers on our website. Contact us directly here.
