Remo Manuel Frey, Gabriel A. Miller, Alexander Ilic, Elgar Fleisch, Alex 'Sandy' Pentland. 2017. Wild Animals in Daily Life. 38th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2017), Seoul, South Korea

Abstract

Humans have historically low engagement with the natural world. Global urbanization has led people to abandon wildlife-rich landscapes. The current lack of connectedness to nature is known as nature-deficit disorder. However, to encourage sustainable relationships between humans and other animals, technology to reconnect is urgently needed. The natural world is in a dire state; we are in the midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction. Here we propose that a novel information system, including a mobile app and privacy tools, could enable reconnection with the natural world. We propose the combination of real-time tracking data from wild animals and humans. Novel wildlife experiences, integrated into people’s daily lives, may increase the connectedness to nature, which serves as a key factor for pro-environmental behavior. Further benefits are identified in education, philanthropy, health, and entertainment. Finally, we utilize an innovative privacy-preserving architecture to shield wildlife data from criminal intent.