Technology & Data
As the leading authority in wild giraffe conservation, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation provides technical assistance and expert guidance to government agencies, academic institutions, conservation organizations, and individuals across Africa.
Robust, transparent, and accessible data are central to our conservation work. We use a range of innovative technologies and open data platforms to monitor wild giraffe populations, understand movement and connectivity, and support evidence-based conservation action across Africa. By combining field-based monitoring, satellite tracking, and collaborative data sharing, we ensure that data collected for conservation are used to their full potential.
Giraffe Africa Database
The Giraffe Africa Database (GAD) is a central repository for all historical and current wild giraffe population records across all four species. It forms the foundation of our State of Giraffe reports and underpins our priority monitoring activities.
Maintaining a centralized repository enables repeatability and comparability of wild giraffe population estimates across landscapes and over time, and supports conservation planning at site, national, and regional scales.
Real-Time Monitoring
We are at the forefront of leveraging EarthRanger, a real-time monitoring platform that integrates GPS tracking, patrol data, and environmental information.
EarthRanger enables real-time monitoring of GPS-tagged animals, rapid response to potential threats, improved coordination between conservation teams, and streamlined, data-driven decision-making at a landscape scale. We are proud to support many of our partners in the use of EarthRanger and are committed to open science and capacity building.
To facilitate wider access and usability, we provide open-source applications that allow users to easily extract, process, and analyze EarthRanger data for reporting, research, and conservation planning. These tools support standardized data formatting and integration into common analytical workflows, including other platforms such as GiraffeSpotter -Wildbook for Giraffe.
GPS Tracking
We deploy GPS satellite tracking units on all four species of giraffe to better understand movement patterns, landscape connectivity, and responses to human pressures and environmental change.
To support transparency and collaboration, summaries of our GPS datasets are available through Movebank, a global repository for animal movement data. These data are used by researchers, conservation practitioners, and decision-makers to inform land-use planning, corridor protection, and long-term species conservation strategies.
Read more about GCF’s Twiga Tracker initiative
GiraffeSpotter
We manage and provide training for GiraffeSpotter, an image-based individual identification platform. GiraffeSpotter enables rangers, researchers, and conservation practitioners to identify individual giraffe from photographs, supporting long-term monitoring and population assessments. We support users with best practices for collecting data in the field and provide ongoing support when uploading and managing data within the platform.
By working with partners to effectively use GiraffeSpotter, we strengthen long-term data quality, improve population estimates, enhance local capacity, and ensure that image data collected in the field contribute directly to conservation outcomes.
Read more about GCF’s GiraffeSpotter or visit GiraffeSpotter – Wildbook for Giraffe
Data Access & Requests
We believe in responsible data sharing that balances openness with ethical and security considerations. If you are interested in accessing data for research, conservation planning, or collaboration, please submit a data request using the link below.
All requests are reviewed to ensure appropriate use and alignment with conservation objectives.
