© Felix Rome / Mara Predator Conservation Program

INVENTA

3-axis Magnetic Sensor for VERTEX Plus Collars

Track animal movements beyond GPS fixes – powered by INVENTA’s new Dead Reckoning

Use the Advanced sensor mode of your VERTEX Plus collar (Iridium or IoT) to record accelerometer and magnetometer data in addition to GPS fixes and open the door to the new Dead Reckoning feature. (Read more)

How do these two sensors reveal every movement in between? (Click for more details)

A magnetometer measures the Earth’s magnetic field, much like a compass, and helps estimate the direction an animal is facing (heading), generating MAG data.

An accelerometer measures acceleration, generating ACC data that are used to estimate movement intensity. 

MAG and ACC data can be explored in INVENTA Desktop (see Data → Motion), where users can visualize, inspect, and export high-frequency sensor data.

When MAG and ACC data are combined with GPS fixes, we enter the world of Dead Reckoning. GPS fixes indicate where an animal was located, while ACC + MAG data help estimate the path traveled between recorded GPS locations.

MAG + ACC + GPS enable Dead Reckoning path reconstruction

Key Features in combination with INVENTA Desktop:

Movement & Behavior:

  • Finer-scale movement data: Record your animal’s movement continuously (ACC up to 32 Hz, MAG at 4 Hz), far more detail than GPS positions alone.
  • Behavior insights from motion data: Recognize activity and movement patterns with high temporal resolution.
  • Dead Reckoning: Reconstruct your animal’s movement path between GPS fixes on the map. (Requires the 3-axis magnetic sensor) (Read more)

Visualization & Analysis:

  • 3D Scatter view in INVENTA Desktop: Explore and freely rotate your Motion data (ACC + MAG) in a 3D view. (Data → Motion)
  • Map-based Dead Reckoning visualization: Estimated path between known GPS positions, with drift correction at every fix. (Read more)
  • Evaluation mode: Verify accuracy by comparing the estimated path against skipped GPS positions.

Data & Export:

  • High-resolution raw data: Full-resolution ACC samples (up to 32 Hz) and MAG samples (4 Hz, 6 bytes per sample, resolution 0.0015 G, ~2.1 MB/day) for your own analyses.
  • CSV export: Export Motion data (XYZ and/or temperature) for external analysis tools.
  • Local data ownership: High-resolution ACC and MAG data is downloaded directly via USB. Keep full control of your data, with no dependence on radio or network coverage.

Technology & Efficiency:

  • Greater battery efficiency: Capture movement between GPS fixes opens up the possibility to lower your GPS fix rate – less energy, without losing path detail.
  • Two sensors, one package: Advanced acceleration (up to 32 Hz) + magnetic sensor (4 Hz, 6 bytes per sample) enable the full Motion/Dead Reckoning experience. (Read more)

Access & Simplicity:

  • No license required: Dead Reckoning runs in INVENTA Desktop at no extra software cost.
  • Free data visualization tool: Explore Motion data in our free INVENTA Desktop software.
  • No airtime costs for high-resolution data: No additional airtime costs for high-resolution ACC and MAG data. (ACC and MAG data stored locally and not transmitted)

VERTEX Plus Collar

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