Protecting Heritage and Wildlife: IoT Climate Monitoring of Europe's Largest Laatvlieger Bat Colony with Datacake.
Did you know Europe’s largest colony of Laatvlieger bats calls the historic St. Matthias Church in the Netherlands home? These incredible creatures depend on the church’s unique microclimate to survive—but what happens when plans for repurposing the building threaten their habitat?
In the town of Castenray, Netherlands, lies the historic St. Matthias Church, home to Europe’s largest colony of Laatvlieger bats, also known as the Serotine bats.
While the church is no longer in active religious use, it houses a unique microclimate crucial to the survival of this remarkable bat species. But as plans emerge for repurposing the church into residential space, preserving this environment has become paramount to protect the colony. Enter Jan Jeucken and his groundbreaking research, powered by IoT technology and Datacake’s monitoring platform.
Implementing IoT for Conservation
In partnership with TTN0478 and using Datacake's platform, the team started with four Milesight EM300-TH sensors within the church. Over time, they scaled up to a total of eleven sensors, positioned strategically throughout the church interior and on the northern exterior wall.
Since the historic structure of the church limited the possibility of using cabled sensors, LoRaWAN®-enabled sensors became the ideal solution. This wireless setup allows the team to gather data without compromising the church’s structure or aesthetics.
With these eleven sensors now capturing temperature and humidity levels every 20 minutes, the project enables a comprehensive monitoring of the bats’ environment. This data not only offers valuable insights into their habitat but also establishes a crucial benchmark that any future building adaptations must uphold to maintain the stable microclimate necessary for the bats' survival.
Steps to Building a Smart Monitoring Solution
● Wireless Temperature Sensors: With LoRaWAN®-enabled sensors, the monitoring system maintains the church's aesthetics while continuously gathering data.● Gateway Installation: The LoRaWAN® gateway installed in the church seamlessly transmits sensor data to Datacake’s cloud platform, where it is accessible for analysis.● Cloud-Based Monitoring: On Datacake’s platform, the data is displayed in an easy-to-interpret dashboard, enabling Jeucken to make real-time assessments of the microclimate conditions.
Key Datacake Features for Conservation Success
Datacake’s platform was essential throughout the project, offering a range of features tailored to the needs of this conservation effort.
The user-friendly dashboard allowed for intuitive monitoring and data analysis, making it easy to track temperature and humidity trends over time. Beyond real-time insights, Datacake also provides one-year data retention and export functionality, enabling researchers to analyze historical data and collaborate effectively on long-term studies.
Additionally, Datacake’s scalability enabled the effortless expansion of the system to include more sensors as the study grew, seamlessly accommodating increased data and additional devices. On top of all this, Datacake’s responsive support ensured expert assistance at every stage, making the entire setup and operation process smooth and efficient.
Insights and Future Impact
The research goes beyond conservation. As Jeucken notes, “The goal is to create a knowledge document that will allow for the replication of these conditions globally.”
To further this effort, Castenray will be expanded with four additional sensors to investigate why the Serotine bats choose specific spots to roost, a behavior that can vary daily (even during the day) depending on temperature fluctuations. These additional insights will help refine the understanding of the microclimate required for their habitat.
With future plans to construct bat-friendly spaces mirroring the Castenray attic’s conditions, Jeucken’s work, supported by Datacake, could set a global standard for conservation practices.
A Testament to the Power of IoT in Conservation
With the Datacake platform’s real-time data insights and user-friendly interface, this project exemplifies how technology can bridge the gap between heritage conservation and environmental sustainability. By preserving a delicate ecosystem within historic walls, Datacake is helping make a lasting impact not only in Castenray but also for conservation efforts worldwide.
Datacake is proud to contribute to this inspiring project, brought to life with the expertise and support of Marc van Bracht. Together, we’re showing that IoT technology can be a powerful ally, not only for industries and smart cities but also for preserving some of our world’s most precious natural habitats.
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