Project Turtle Tech
Florida beaches are the backyard of Northrop Grumman's Melbourne, Florida location and are home to 25 percent of the total sea turtle population worldwide.
Sea Turtle Conservation
The work of scientists at the Brevard Zoo to monitor and understand the animal population is essential to conservation efforts. However, researchers lack key information necessary to fully understand on and offshore behaviors and habitats.
Through a partnership with the Brevard Zoo and engagements with the University of Central Florida, Florida Atlantic University and the University of Florida, our team in Melbourne is designing and prototyping sensing and data collection technology that will fill key gaps in available data. This initiative has attracted over 180 Northrop Grumman employee volunteers to assist with every aspect of the project, from program management and systems engineering to external engagement and STEM outreach.
Capabilities
The project provides researchers with sensor and data collection technology that affords insight into the sea turtle lifecycle from birth to maturity without disrupting habitat. This information will be vital to understanding risks to the population and informing conservation policies. The solution will address two key challenges:
- Onshore - performing data collection on public beaches is highly regulated and impacted by local conditions
- Offshore - collecting data continuously on or under the ocean requires very wide area and persistent coverage with high resolution sensors
Solutions
- A data collection system for nesting events and offshore mating and migration, including real time sensor data and image recognition and geolocation technology
- Next generation tagging technology capable of identifying, logging, and reporting on migration
- Offshore imagery collection using a long-endurance drone
- Image recognition software to process live flight data
Life at Northrop Grumman
Your work at Northrop Grumman makes a difference. Whether you want to design next-generation aircraft, harness digital technologies or build spacecraft that will return humanity to the moon, you’ll contribute to technology that’s transforming the world. Check out our career opportunities to see how you can help define possible.