Abstract:
Sea turtle populations across the globe are severely threatened, with
hatchlings particularly exposed when they emerge from nests. Early intervention
by humans can drastically raise their chances of survival. This study presents
TurtleAlert, an IoT-Based device capable of predicting and detecting hatchling
emergence events. The system includes the use of sensors such as temperature
sensors (DS18B20), accelerometers (MPU6050), and passive infrared (PIR) motion
sensors to monitor important indicators at sea turtle hatchery sites. The brain of the system is ESP32 microcontroller, which reads data from a maximum of three
smart sensors which consists of MPU6050, DS18B20, and HC-SR501 that are
placed at different nests. The system was deployed and tested in collaboration
with Project CURMA at a turtle hatchery in San Juan, La Union, Philippines. A
sample of twenty-five participants, including volunteers and hatchers, hatchery
manager and staff, marine conservation experts, and technical experts, are
selected through purposive sampling. Ethical considerations prioritize participants
consent, privacy, well-being, as well as the health of sea turtles and their nests
are considered throughout the study. The system is developed to be low-cost and
scalable making it suitable for hatchery. This research employed mixed method
research design, the data gathering process for the research involves a systematic
approach aligned with the study’s objectives. It includes defining thresholds for
smart sensors, designing TurtleAlert capable of monitoring multiple nests,
developing the device using prototyping materials, and evaluating effectiveness
and accuracy of TurtleAlert. The results revealed high effectiveness and accuracy
with a Grand Mean of 4.25 that denotes “Excellent” showing the device's high
potential for real-world application. The respondents showed high ratings
highlighting the TurtleAlert effectiveness and accuracy in predicting and detecting
hatchling emergence, which supports sea turtle conservation.
