BENGALURU: Karnataka Forest Department, along with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), is creating HAWK (Hostile Activity Watch Kernel) system, a special software for wildlife crime management. The WTI on Friday announced that Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation (NTT DATA), a digital business and IT services leader, is supporting the development of HAWK.
WTI said this specialised software system will be the nerve centre of the Forest Department as part of its modernisation initiatives.
Bishwajit Mishra, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, said it is still under development and will be completely ready in six months. So far, data of 35,000 cases of wildlife crime and forest offences have been uploaded.
He said WTI had created a software for Kerala Forest Department, which is in use at the moment. “We wanted something different. So our data will include a lot of analysis modules. We are customising the software. It will include all information starting from filing an FIR online, details of investigation and approvals. It will also be integrated with the judicial system.
The system will include forest and wildlife offenses. The status of cases will also be monitored and reasons for delay in investigation can also be ascertained. Work on creating an exhaustive database of legacy crimes and criminals is also being done in parallel,” he said. In the first phase, live case details are being uploaded and their status recorded. The operation and maintenance of the system will be by the department, Mishra added.
Subhash K Malkhede, PCCF (Wildlife) said, “The HAWK system will help the department to manage and monitor data regarding forest and wildlife crime across the state in real-time. This will increase the overall efficiency of the department in crime management.”
Vivek Menon, Founder and Executive Director, WTI said, “We initiated the development of HAWK as there are no such systems present in the country to manage information regarding wildlife crime and criminal activities.”
So far, over 300 forest officers have undergone online training and this year, there is a plan to train 500 more officials. At least five staff members from each forest range in the state will be trained by an expert team to use the HAWK system and a technical team is in place to provide real-time assistance to the new users.