Evaluation of three remote camera systems for detecting mammals and birds

Automated camera systems have widespread application in wildlife studies and their use is increasing (Kucera & Barrett 1993; Cutler & Swann 1999; Swann et al. 2004; Parker et al. 2008). Among other applications, they have been used to produce species inventories, estimate population sizes, study behaviour and examine the impact and activity of predators (Cutler & Swann 1999; Swann et al. 2004). Modern camera systems can operate for extended durations, are relatively non-invasive, easy to operate, portable, durable and can take good-quality images by day and night (Kucera & Barrett 1993; Peterson & Thomas 1998; Allison & Destefano 2006; Parker et al. 2008). Beyond their scientific applications, the generation of high-quality images can be useful for educational and conservation purposes (Cutler & Swann 1999). The two most common types of systems currently used in ecological research are passive and active infrared (IR) systems (Cutler & Swann 1999; Parker et al. 2008). An older form of remote photography is video which captures a continuous record of activity at a focal site (Stewart et al.1997; King et al. 2001). Camera systems have certain limitations and biases (Swann et al. 2004), yet these have not been well studied. Refinement of the use of camera systems is required to fully realize their value (Towerton et al. 2008). Here, we describe a comparison of detection rates of mammals and birds by passive and active IR camera systems, using a video system to benchmark detection rates.

Response of feral cats to a track-based baiting programme using Eradicat baits

Summary The feral Cat (Felis catus) is a significant threat to Australian fauna, and reducing their impacts is considered an essential action for threatened species conservation. Poison baiting is increasingly being used for the broad scale control of feral cats. In this study, we measured the population response of feral cats to a track-based baiting programme using Eradicat baits in the semi-arid northern wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Over two years, 1500 baits were laid once annually and the response of feral cats was measured using remote cameras in a before–after, control–impact design. There was a significant reduction in feral cat activity in the second year, but not the first. During bait uptake trials, corvids removed the most number of baits, followed by cats and varanids. The lack of a response to baiting in the first year may be due to existing low cat numbers in the baited area and/or the timing of the baiting. We provide a list of key recommendations to help inform future cat baiting programmes and research.

`This was a great project!`: reflections on a `successful` mental health promotion project in a remote Indigenous school

Issue addressed: The complexities encountered in an Indigenous community when a white project support team assisted a school (Bwgcolman on Palm Island, Queensland) to implement MindMatters, a centralised, national project aiming to promote the psychosocial health of young Australians through the development of a comprehensive, school- based mental health promotion program. Approach: The MindMatters consortium offered pilot schools curriculum materials, professional development for staff, funding and ongoing support at a local level in return for their participation in the project. The support team flew to the island on two occasions to provide support. Conclusion: Whether or not MindMatters constituted a community project at Bwgcolman is debatable. Nevertheless, the project at Bwgcolman was considered a 'success' by key players since initial aims identified by the school were tangible (eg, professional development, curriculum development) and met in a way that the school could take ownership of. Additionally, behavioural management policy was implemented in a manner that was cognisant of a history of coercive relations with Indigenous communities. So what?: It is important in the telling of the success story at Bwgcolman that even though MindMatters endeavoured to be culturally sensitive, it was nevertheless a centralist mental health promotion program. Future mental health promotion initiatives need to be aware that the approach of the support team in attempting to hand back some community control at the local level may have played a role in the school succeeding.

Distribution and density of the hooded plover Thinornis rubricollis along a remote coastline in North West Tasmania

The Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area, on the north-west coast of Tasmania, provides many kilometres of ocean beach habitat for the vulnerable Hooded Plover Thinornis rubricollis. Hooded Plovers were surveyed along a 43.5 km section of coast which included both rocky shores and sandy beaches. They were absent from the rocky portion of the coastline (17.0 km), but 65 individuals were recorded along the sandy portion of coastline (26.5 km). The recorded population density of 2.45 birds/km compares favourably with reported mean densities for most parts of south-eastern Australia. Careful management and monitoring are required if the current numbers of the Hooded Plover in this area are to be maintained.

A virtual clinic : telemetric assessment and monitoring for rural and remote areas

This article reports the establishment of a pilot ‘virtual clinic’ in a rural region of Victoria, Australia. Using low-cost videophones that work across ordinary phone lines, together with off-the-shelf (mostly automatic) clinical tools, local volunteers have been trained to mediate a virtual consultation between simulated patients and local GPs. This system has the potential to save long trips into town by such patients since the traditional ‘home visit’ is not feasible, as well as to provide regular home monitoring for those with chronic conditions. This in turn should impact favourably on ambulance deployment, sometimes enabling patients to avoid going to hospital or allowing them to come home sooner than otherwise would be the case, and generally to offer a sense of medical security to those living in isolated regions.

Undergraduate pre-registration nursing education in Australia: a longitudinal examination of enrolment and completion numbers with a focus on students from rural and remote campus locations

Introduction: There is much evidence to indicate a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) in Australia and to suggest that the shortage may be more pronounced in rural and remote locations. Attracting RNs to work in rural and remote areas may not be as simple as increasing the intake of students into university undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses. There is some evidence indicating that student nurses may be more likely to enter the nursing workforce in rural and remote locations if they have existing associations with rural and remote areas and/or their undergraduate education provides opportunities to undertake supported placements in rural and remote settings. Two important difficulties have been associated with measuring outcomes in relation to rural and remote pre-registration nursing students. One is defining what constitutes a rural or remote location and the other is suspect data on the number of nursing students enrolled in, and completing, nursing courses. The aims of this study were to provide a longitudinal profile of the number of domestic students studying and completing undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses in Australia, with a particular emphasis on identifying those at rural and remote university campuses, and to compare results across States and Territories.
Method: This study presents the combined findings from two investigative reports. Data on undergraduate pre-registration nursing student numbers were collected via electronic survey instruments completed by staff at all Australian educational institutions offering undergraduate pre-registration nursing education programs in 2001 and 2002. Australian domestic students were the focus of this study. Data included the total number of domestic students enrolled in undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses in 2001 and 2002, the number of domestic students who successfully completed courses in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and estimates for the number expected to complete in 2002. Surveys were sent to course coordinators or other staff nominated by heads of divisions of nursing at each institution.
Results: There was a 100% response rate. Twenty-four rural and remote campus locations were identified using an adjusted form of the Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas (RRMA) classification system. The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory did not have any rural or remote campus locations. In contrast, undergraduate pre-registration nursing in Tasmania was offered at a rural campus only (for the first 2 years). From 2001 to 2002, there was an increase of just over 5% in the total number of domestic students enrolled in undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses in Australia (2002 total = 22 811 students). Rural and remote location students accounted for slightly more than 25% of these students in 2001, and almost 27% in 2002. The States Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland had the highest percentage of students enrolled at rural and remote campus locations, greater than the Australian average for both years. In contrast, South Australia and Western Australia had less than 11% of students enrolled at rural and remote campus locations for each year. Total undergraduate pre-registration course completions increased by approximately 16% across Australia between 1999 (n = 4868) and 2002 (n = 5667), although for 2002, the figure was projected. Of these total course completions, the percentage of students completing at rural and remote campus locations increased from almost 23% to nearly 28% during the same period. Of the States/Territories with both metropolitan and rural/remote campus locations, only Victoria and Queensland had more than 25% of their total student completions consisting of students enrolled at rural and remote campus locations for each year. In contrast, South Australia and Western Australia had approximately 6% of student completions consisting of students enrolled at rural and remote campus locations in 1999, increasing to approximately 12% projected for 2002.
Conclusion: In this study, the authors attempted to improve the accuracy of data collection in relation to the number of domestic undergraduate pre-registration nursing students in Australia, which is representative of the potentially new Australian domestic RN workforce. There was a trend towards an increasing number of students being enrolled in undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses, and also toward an increasing number of course completions. From the perspective of the rural and remote RN workforce, the percentage of students enrolled and completing courses at rural and remote campus locations was found to be increasing. However, there may be some areas of concern for education and workforce planners in States and Territories that are providing a smaller percentage of their undergraduate pre-registration nursing courses in rural and remote areas. Several study limitations are discussed and suggestions made for future research.

Investigating the distribution of acacia longifolia ssp. sophorae in south-west Victoria using satellite remote sensing and GIS

Mapping and analysis of the distribution of environmental weeds is an important component of strategic weed management. Such information is particularly important in managing 'native invaders', where invasion characteristics must be clearly understood prior to any management action being taken. This paper reports on an investigation of the current distribution of the native invader Acacia longifolia ssp. sophorae (Labill.) Court (coast wattle) in south-west Victoria, using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Coast wattle was successfully mapped from Landsat ETM imagery using a supervised classification procedure, with 82%, of coast wattle shown on the map accurately depicting coast wattle on the ground. An estimated 11,448 ha were classified as supporting coast wattle, representing 12% of native vegetation in the study area. A more detailed GIS analysis in the Lower Glenelg National Park revealed coast wattle has invaded a limited number of vegetation types, and is more prevalent close to roads and within management zones associated with disturbance. The current regional extent of the species means widespread control is unlikely; hence the immediate focus should be on preventing further spread into areas where it is currently absent. Landsat imagery also proved to be a successful tool for mapping large scale coast wattle distribution, and could be used in long-term monitoring of the species.

Addressing training needs for community care assessment in remote Indigenous communities

Access to Home and Community Care services in Australia is based on the assessed needs of individual clients, with individual Home and Community Care organisations generally being responsible for initial assessment of eligibility and need. Home and Community Care funded services are expected to operate within the agency's program guidelines and to adhere to minimum service standards. However, service delivery contexts in remote areas of Australia present particular challenges for staff in the practice of assessment and care planning. This paper discusses the findings of a project which investigated approaches to assessment of client needs in remote Home and Community Care services. Some of the challenges of providing care in remote/Indigenous contexts are discussed. The research project highlighted that there was an inadequate knowledge base to assist staff with assessment and care planning in these cross-cultural contexts; a greater focus on developing the assessment skills of staff was needed. Subsequently, an education program incorporating the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health was developed for Home and Community Care assessment staff in remote communities. Rather than focusing on process skills and procedures, the program was designed to equip staff with a solid and consistent conceptual framework to assist with assessment and care planning.

New money for mental health : will it make things better for rural and remote Australia?

New Australian government funding for the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative is a significant step forward for mental health, with general practitioners now able to offer direct referrals to psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and Aboriginal health workers. Incentives for better teamwork between GPs and other mental health professionals have been introduced, but may have unintended consequences, including an exacerbation of workforce shortages in rural and remote areas. Possible solutions to these shortages include rural scholarships for students in the mental health professions; recruitment and retention of students coordinated by university departments of rural health; better access to continuing professional development; and federally funded rural positions and additional financial incentives for rural mental health practitioners.

A haptically enabled low-cost reconnaissance platform for law enforcement

Traditionally, the control system of a modern teleoperated mobile robot consists of one or more two-dimensional joysticks placed on a control interface. While this simplistic interface allows an operator to remotely drive the platform, feedback is limited to visual information supplied by on-board cameras. Significant advances in the field of haptics have the potential to meaningfully enhance situational awareness of a remote robot. The focus of this research is the augmentation of Deakin University's OzBot trade MkIV mobile platform to include haptic control methodologies. Utilising the platform's inertial measurement unit, a remote operator has the ability to gain knowledge of the vehicle's operating performance and terrain while supplying a finer level of control to the drive motors. Our development of a generic multi-platform ActiveX allows the easy implementation of haptic force feedback to many computer based robot controllers. Furthermore, development of communication protocols has progressed with Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS) compliance in mind. The haptic force control algorithms are presented along with results highlighting the benefits of haptic operator feedback on the MklV OzBot trade chassis.

Assessment of indigenous older peoples ’ needs for home and community care in remote central Australia

The Home and Community Care (HACC) program in Australia provides services which supports older people to live at home. Individual HACC organisations are generally responsible for initial assessment of eligibility and need of clients presenting for services. This paper reports on a project which aimed to develop an understanding of the various approaches to assessment of client needs in Central Australia. The majority of clients in this geographical area are indigenous. The project was initiated in recognition of the primary importance of assessment in determining service access and service delivery and of the particular challenges faced by service providers in remote areas. This paper discusses key project findings including the client group and services provided, initial needs assessment and care planning processes. Evident inconsistencies in practice reflect a variety of complex contextual factors. Staff in remote areas have an inadequate knowledge base to draw upon to assist them with assessment and care planning decisions, and further research and professional development is required.

Healthcare in continuum for an ageing population: national self monitoring or remote offshore monitoring for Australia?

Australia is a country, similar to other developed nations, confronting an ageing population with complex demographics. Ensuring continued healthcare for the ageing, while providing sufficient support for the already aged population requiring assistance, is at the forefront of the national agenda. Varied initiatives are with foci to leverage the advantages of lCTs leading to e-Health provisioning and assisted technologies. While these initiatives increasingly put budgetary constraints on local and federal governments, there is also a case for offshore resourcing of non-critical health services, to support, streamline and enhance the continuum of care, as the nation faces acute shortages of medical practitioners and nurses. However, privacy and confidentiality concerns in this context are a significant issue in Australia. In this paper, we take the position that if the National and state electronic health records system initiatives, are fully implemented, offshore resourcing can be a feasible complementary option resulting in a win-win situation of cutting costs and enabling the continuum of healthcare.