Natural History Museum turns on sensors in high-tech gardens to monitor nature

"The Natural History Museum has switched on sensors in its gardens to monitor how wildlife reacts to the urban climate, and how and why it is changing. The 25 sensors installed across the central London site will monitor conditions like temperature, humidity and sound. Researchers will then be able to use the live data to look at the kind of life that makes these gardens home from insects and frogs to tiny microscopic organisms invisible to the human eye."

"The free-to-visit green space, which aims to support urban nature, scientific research and education, has seen five million visitors so far, the museum said. The network of sensors was installed in one of the two gardens the nature discovery garden to help scientists understand how wildlife interacts with its surroundings, as part of its partnership with global cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS). The range of live data gathered will include variations to the garden's microclimate, underwater sound recordings from the pond, the hum of insect wings, bird calls and urban noise, such as traffic."

"The data will feed into what the museum calls a pioneering new data system, built using AWS technologies to allow scientists to collect, enrich, and share biodiversity and environmental data quickly. This stream of information will be vital for understanding how urban nature is changing and what actions can support its recovery, the museum said. Ed Baker, acoustic biology researcher at the museum, said: We're incredibly excited about the switch-on of our new environmental sensor network. This marks a major milestone in transforming our gardens into a living laboratory, helping us better understand how urban nature is changing in real time."

Twenty-five environmental sensors have been activated across the central London Nature Discovery Garden to monitor temperature, humidity, sound and other microclimate variables. Live recordings will capture underwater pond acoustics, insect wing hums, bird calls and urban noise alongside microclimate fluctuations. The data will feed an AWS-powered data system designed to collect, enrich and share biodiversity and environmental information quickly. The sensor network aims to support urban nature, scientific research and education while informing actions to help urban ecosystems recover. The garden remains free to visit and has recorded five million visitors.

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