The UNC Charlotte Center for Applied Geographic Information Science (CAGIS) received a contract from the Carolina Raptor Center (CRC) to develop a web based application to track the location of two bald eagles released in spring 2006.  The web site allows researchers and the general public to view the current location and migration paths of the eagles.  The birds were hatched in early March 2006 at the Carolina Raptor Center. Siblings, Len and Lola are the first bald eagles born to parents at CRC. The parents, unable to fly, are residents at CRC. 

Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and radio transmitters were carried in a device strapped to the eagles’ backs.  Each hour during daylight the bird’s current location, altitude, heading and speed were captured by the GPS and saved until they were transmitted to a satellite. Once per day the data received at the satellite were sent to an earth station and delivered via email to CAGIS.  Once received, the data were processed and posted to a web site where the public can view them in map form.  Three levels of detail are mapped for each bird.  The weekly track only shows one location per week.  Daily tracks map the first location received each day and an hourly track shows the full detail of all received locations. University researchers will use the data to study the movements of bald eagles and their relationship to climate, weather, natural resources and land cover. 

To see the maps, use following link: http://gisserv1.uncc.edu/website/cagiseagle/