Terms of Use
Document History
This documentation receives frequent updates, which are described here.
Introduction
Song Meter® with Analysis and Remote Transfer, or SMART™, is a multi-channel, ultrasonic audio recording and analysis platform from Wildlife Acoustics®.
Getting Started
The first time you use a SMART System, we recommend setting it up in an accessible location, such as an office. This will make it easier to configure the SMART and perform any necessary troubleshooting.
Microphone Settings and Schedules
Each microphone connected to a SMART Controller can have its own Setting Profile and Schedule Profile. These profiles determine when the microphone is active; the settings it uses to detect, record, and analyze bat echolocations; and set the scheduling of microphone sensitivity testing and moisture clearing.
SMART Controller Configuration
Before you deploy the SMART System, you should configure basic system and network settings. These include login credentials, date, location, and network configuration settings.
Data Management
The SMART System stores recordings and logs on its internal drive initially, and it can periodically transfer new data to a USB or networked storage drive.
- Internal Drive Structure
  Data recorded by the SMART System, including recordings, results and log files, and device settings, are saved on the SMART Controller's internal drive under /var/www/html/storage. Knowing where different types of files are stored can help when you need to manage files via the command line.
- File Name Conventions
  Audio recordings, results tables, and log files follow a set of conventions designed to make it easy to identify the source of each file.
- Daily Automatic Data Maintenance
  Once per day, the SMART Controller can automatically back up data, delete old data, and send a status update over email. After this maintenance, it can optionally shut down until a specified time.
  - Schedule Daily Automatic Maintenance and Power-Down
    Daily maintenance is scheduled by time of day. For deployments with limited available power, the SMART Controller can be configured to power down after maintenance is done until a specified wakeup time.
  - USB Backup
    During daily maintenance, the SMART Controller can copy new data from its internal drive to a USB storage device. This can include bat analysis results files, log files, and both full-spectrum and zero-crossing recordings.
    - Connect and Verify a USB Backup Drive
      Before you set up automatic USB backup, you should manually mount the drive and ensure that it works correctly.
    - Configure Automatic Backup to USB Storage
      Once you have connected a USB backup drive and verified that it works, you can enable daily automatic backup using the SMART Control Panel.
    - USB Backup Drive Structure
      If the SMART System is configured to back up data to a USB drive during daily maintenance, the drive is mounted to /mnt/smart-external. If backup settings are configured to keep the drive mounted outside of the maintenance period, you can access the external drive via the command line.
  - Configure Automatic Data Backup to Network Storage
    During daily maintenance, the SMART Controller can copy new data from its internal drive to a network storage location using rsync.
  - Automatically Delete Old Recordings from Internal Storage
    To preserve space on the SMART Controller's internal drive for new data, you can configure the SMART system to delete old WAV/W4V and ZC files after a specified time period.
  - Configure Automatic Results Table and Log File Rotation and Deletion
    Bat analysis results tables and status logs are rotated, or split up into separate files, on a regular basis. To limit storage use, these files are deleted from the internal drive after a specified number of days.
  - Configure Daily Email Reports
    A SMART System connected to the SMART Portal can send daily reports to one or more email addresses during its daily maintenance. Each report summarizes the basic status of the SMART Controller and its microphones, including the sensitivity of each microphone and how much data has been collected.
  - Daily Custom Script Execution
    For daily maintenance tasks not possible with the options built into the SMART Control Panel, you can write a custom shell script that will run each day as part of the maintenance period.
- Manually Download Data from the SMART Control Panel
  You can manually retrieve recordings, bat analysis results tables, and log files using the SMART Control Panel. You can filter these files by the microphone associated with them and by a date range to download individual files or batches of files.
- Generate Diagnostic Dump Files
  If you encounter an issue with your SMART System and contact Wildlife Acoustics Support, they may ask you to generate a file containing copies of your SMART system's configuration and recent log files. This can help Wildlife Acoustics Support recreate and diagnose the issue.
- Check Available Internal Storage
  You can check the available space on the SMART Controller's internal drive via the SMART Portal or the SMART Control Panel.
Installing SMART
Installing the SMART System on a wind turbine, meteorological tower, or similar structure requires careful planning. Proper connectivity, grounding, and microphone placement will help ensure a successful deployment.
Bat Activity Alarms and Control System Integration
The SMART System can integrate with a windfarm SCADA network or similar control system to perform acoustically triggered curtailment (ATC). You can define custom alarms that detect bat activity based on custom-defined parameters. When these alarms trigger, you can send control signals to other devices on a control system to trigger turbine shutdowns.
Troubleshooting
Specifications
SMART Enclosure
The SMART Enclosure is a preconfigured, weatherproof enclosure that can be purchased with the SMART System.
SMART API and Command Reference
The SMART System software includes utilities, command-line scripts, and APIs that can be used for additional customized programming of the SMART System.
Glossary
Warranty
Except as specifically provided herein, Wildlife Acoustics makes no warranty of any kind, express or implied, with respect to this product.
Declaration of Conformity
Prohibition Against Eavesdropping
Patents
Copyright Notices
Contact Information

USB Backup Drive Structure

If the SMART System is configured to back up data to a USB drive during daily maintenance, the drive is mounted to /mnt/smart-external. If backup settings are configured to keep the drive mounted outside of the maintenance period, you can access the external drive via the command line.

/mnt/smart-external/: In the root folder, you will find backups of the SMART system's daily reports, cron logs, and SCADA logs. You will also find a backup of the most recent diagnostic dump.zip file, generated via the Maintenance tab of the SMART Control Panel.
/mnt/smart-external/MAC Address/data/: Stores csv results tables, log files, and recordings saved from a given microphone, identified by its MAC Address.