M2M's Role in Preserving the Amazon

Preserving the Amazon has always been a challenge and an important issue for environmentalists. Now, thanks to M2M technology, that task is easier.

Gemalto’s new Invisible Tracck system is taking a bite out of unauthorized logging in the Amazon through a “discreet” device that is “smaller than a deck of cards.” Remarkably, the company says this small device can work effectively for up to one year, without recharging batteries. 

According to a recent statement, the technology is installed in trees located in active harvesting sites and then alerts law enforcement and IBAMA—the Brazilian environmental protection agency—when trees pass within 20 miles of a cellular network, using localization algorithms and Radiation Exchange Data technology.

Marcel Hayashi, the general manager of Cargo Track, cited Gemalto’s Cinterion M2M as playing a “vital” role in enabling them to develop a tracking and tracing solution “rugged enough to withstand the heat and moisture of the Amazon.”

Hayashi calls their M2M module “unique,” noting that it is “small for inconspicuous deployment in the field and power efficient enough to operate over long stretches of times without recharging batteries” – features which he calls “crucial when tracking trees in remote areas.”

Ramzi Abdine, general manager of Cinterion M2M at Gemalto in Latin America, says it is “impossible to monitor each and every acre.” Their solution plays a critical role in “overcoming unique business challenges to extend the reach of traditional tracking and tracing methods.”

M2M has been popular for applications like fleet management, but Gemalto has now proven that the technology has unlimited potential. Other environmental applications for M2M include monitoring water irrigation levels, air quality, water quality, wastewater treatment and pollutant levels. 

The industry will continue to grow as it is adopted for environmental applications, cost-saving applications, healthcare applications and wireless transactions.