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How Peskas works

Peskas turns daily catch records and vessel tracks into decision-ready indicators for small-scale fisheries - with open methods and clear quality control.

From landing site to insight

A single pipeline that starts with fishers and ends with trusted information for managers, scientists, and communities. Built in Timor-Leste, now powering implementations in East Africa and Southeast Asia.

Collect

On-the-ground reporting

Enumerators capture standardized trip data and link it with GPS tracks so every record is traceable.

Process

Automated, audited pipeline

Cleaning, harmonization, and quality flags ensure each dataset is consistent across time, fleets, and locations.

Share

Decision tools

Dashboards, briefs, and downloads translate the data into practical guidance for policy and daily operations.

The workflow

Each stage is repeatable, documented, and aligned with partner agencies so results remain credible over time.

01

Field data capture

Enumerators collect trip, catch, and price information at landing sites using a standard survey form.

  • Species, weight, gear, crew, and effort recorded on mobile devices
  • Landing location and trip timing georeferenced
  • Data synced daily to a secure, versioned database
02

Vessel tracking

Solar GPS units log vessel positions to complement survey data with verified time at sea and fishing grounds.

  • Automatic polling creates continuous tracks
  • Fishing activity inferred from speed and location
  • Tracking data linked to trips for effort estimates
03

Ingestion and standardization

All inputs are cleaned, harmonized, and matched to reference tables before analysis.

  • Species names reconciled to FishBase and FAO codes
  • Weights estimated from lengths when needed
  • Currency, units, and categories normalized
04

Quality control

Automated rules and 21 quality flags check completeness, plausibility, and consistency.

  • Duplicates removed; outliers flagged for review
  • Gear, location, and season cross-checks
  • Audit trail for every accepted or corrected record
05

Analytics and indicators

Standard scripts calculate core metrics for fisheries management and nutrition.

  • Catch-per-unit-effort and production estimates by fleet, gear, and area
  • Trends in value, prices, and revenue
  • Nutritional contribution and species composition
06

Publication and feedback

Decision-ready outputs are shared with partners, with regular feedback into the field programme.

  • Public dashboards and downloadable datasets
  • Briefings for government partners and communities
  • Continuous refinement of forms, devices, and QA rules

Platform modules

The core components that keep the pipeline reliable, transparent, and reusable.

Landing-site monitoring, onboard tracking, and fisher self-reporting combine to create a traceable effort-and-catch record.

  • Standardized digital catch monitoring for species, weight, gear, crew, and price
  • GPS vessel tracking (solar and other devices) for routes, speed, and time at sea
  • Tracks app for fisher-entered trips and catches, online or offline

Cleaning, harmonization, and versioned storage keep inputs analysis-ready across forms, fleets, and time.

  • Species names reconciled to FishBase and FAO codes
  • Length–weight conversions and unit normalization
  • Currency, gear, and effort categories aligned across surveys

Scripted pipelines generate fisheries indicators using linked trip, tracking, and catch data.

  • Catch-per-unit-effort and production estimates by fleet, gear, and area
  • Revenue and price trends, plus species composition and nutrition metrics
  • Automated reruns so indicators stay current as new data arrive

Real-time validation and audit trails ensure every record is trusted before publication.

  • 21 automated quality flags with alerting and manual review flow
  • Outlier detection for catch, effort, and location
  • Enumerator and device performance tracking to target support

Multilingual dashboards and briefs make data usable for managers, communities, and partners.

  • Interactive maps and time series, including regional views (e.g., Western Indian Ocean)
  • Customizable visuals and automated briefings for meetings and reports
  • Access controls by role so sensitive data stay protected

Scheduled releases with documentation so others can verify and reuse the data responsibly.

  • Monthly exports to open repositories (e.g., Harvard Dataverse) when permitted
  • Restructured datasets for dashboard integration and public download
  • Clear data ownership: providers govern access; individual-level data stay private

Key features

  • Open-source code that adapts to different fisheries contexts
  • User-friendly dashboards for spatial and temporal analysis
  • Standardized data and terminology aligned with FAO and national protocols
  • Cloud-hosted architecture for secure, near real-time access
  • Co-designed workflows that build on existing systems and capacity

Resources and links

  • Main platform
  • Timor-Leste dashboard
  • Western Indian Ocean dashboard
  • Tracks app demo
  • Data resources and publications
  • Source code (GitHub)

FAQ

Straight answers on hardware, costs, data, and customization.

No. Peskas ingests any vessel location data. We have used solar trackers from Pelagic Data Systems, but any compatible GPS hardware can be integrated.

The software is free and open-source. WorldFish can support setup, form adaptation, training, and dashboards as a service.

Hardware and service vary by volume

Data belong to the fishers and agencies who collect them. Summaries are published to the Harvard Dataverse; individual-level or sensitive vessel tracks are not shared.

Yes. The system is modular and adaptable. Technical documentation and support are available; contact a.tilley@cgiar.org or fill out the request form.

Most deployments are co-designed and trained in person to avoid misinterpretation. Online modules are in progress.

Ready to see it in your waters?

We co-design deployments with partners, train local teams, and keep the pipeline open so evidence stays current.

PESKAS™

Contact

  • peskas.platform@gmail.com
  • a.tilley@cgiar.org
  • l.longobardi@cgiar.org

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