The ICARUS Initiative
ICARUS stands for International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space. Scientists taking part in the ICARUS initiative are working together to study the behavior of animals.
Researchers use ICARUS to learn more about the lives of animals on Earth — the migratory routes they take and their living conditions. These findings aid behavioural research, species protection, and the study of how infectious diseases spread. The data may even help predict ecological changes and natural disasters.
ICARUS researchers attach mini-transmitters to a variety of animal species. These transmitters send measurement data to a receiver station in space, which in turn transmits the data to a ground station. From there, the data is sent to the relevant research teams.
The results are published in a public database accessible to everyone: Movebank.org
Notes & Sources
- ICARUS: International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space — global collaboration to study animal movement and behavior.
- Data platform: Movebank.org — open-access database for animal movement data.
- Research applications: Behavioural ecology, migration tracking, species protection, disease spread modelling, and ecological forecasting.
- Partners: German Aerospace Center (DLR), Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, and international research networks.