FeralMap Project
A public reporting platform for feral and invasive animals across Hawaiʻi. Sightings get routed to whichever agency handles that species on that island. Density patterns are visible to anyone.
What it is
FeralMap took the workflow that worked for CatMap and stretched it to the other species that affect Hawaiian ecosystems. The platform handles reporting for:
Feral animals
- • Feral Cats
- • Feral Pigs
- • Feral Goats
- • Axis Deer
- • Mongoose
- • Feral Chickens
Invasive pests
- • Coqui Frogs
- • Little Fire Ants
- • Coconut Rhinoceros Beetles
Invasive birds
- • Rose-ringed Parakeets
Also reportable
- • Roadkill
- • Predation on native wildlife
- • Anything else
What FeralMap is for
- Give the public one place to report invasive animals across Hawaiʻi
- Get urgent reports (mongoose on Kauaʻi, indoor little fire ant nests, a captured coqui) to the right agency fast
- Route routine reports to HDOA, DOFAW, county ag, KISC, or 643-PEST based on species and island
- Build a spatial record useful for predator control around nēnē, ʻuaʻu, monk seals, and other native species
- Keep reporter identity out of public view while the data itself stays open
Live
FeralMap is live. Reports go to agencies the same day they come in. If something is broken or a form asks the wrong question, tell us.
How it works
Species-specific forms
Each species has its own short form. A mongoose report asks different questions than a coqui frog report because the response is different.
Triage and routing
Urgent reports go to the agency that can act. A mongoose on Kauaʻi is a biosecurity event. A captured coqui or an indoor LFA nest gets routed for same-day response.
H3 hexagons, not points
Sightings are aggregated into H3 hexagons. Density is visible. Specific addresses are not. Reporter contact info is never shown publicly.
Island-specific workflows
Each island gets the workflow that matches its situation. Mongoose on Kauaʻi triggers biosecurity escalation. Oʻahu little fire ant reports surface the free test kit program.
Open data, private reporters
Why the data is public
Most invasive species response in Hawaiʻi runs across agencies, hui, and individual landowners. Keeping the sightings open means anyone planning a trapping line, writing a grant, or checking whether their area has a problem can see what is going on without filing a records request.
What open data unlocks
- • Hui and landowners see what is near them
- • Researchers pull data without an MOU
- • Agencies and the public are reading the same map
- • New infestations get attention faster
- • Funders can verify activity in a project area
Privacy guardrails
- • Public view uses H3 hexagons, not exact coordinates
- • Reporter contact info is never shown publicly
- • Anonymous reporting is supported
- • Sensitive areas can be obscured further on request
- • Precise coordinates only go to the responding agency
What each species does to native wildlife
Why these animals are on the platform:
- • Feral cats shed Toxoplasma gondii oocysts that nēnē, monk seals, and other native species pick up. They also kill goslings outright.
- • Mongoose prey on ground-nesting birds. Kauaʻi is currently mongoose-free. Any sighting on Kauaʻi is a biosecurity event.
- • Feral pigs tear up native forest understory and create water-holding pits that mosquitoes use.
- • Axis deer eat through native plant communities and pastureland on Maui and Molokaʻi.
- • Coqui frogs reach densities that change invertebrate communities and shift bird behavior.
- • Little fire ants sting people, livestock, and pets, and displace native invertebrates.
Under the hood
How the parts fit together:
Available now
- • H3 hexagons aggregate points on the public view so addresses do not leak
- • Quick Report uses the minimum fields needed for a one-handed phone submission
- • Per-species forms ask only the questions that matter for that animal
- • The web app runs on any modern browser
Not built yet
- • An iOS app
- • Offline reporting: reports queue locally and sync when signal returns
- • Push alerts for high-priority species near you
Get involved
Use it during beta
The platform is open. Reports submitted now flow to agencies the same way they will after launch. Feedback from beta users is what drives the remaining fixes before January 1.
What we learned from CatMap
The previous platform
FeralMap is the successor to CatMap, which mapped over 900 feral cat colonies and 6,500 sightings from 550 contributors. CatMap showed which parts of the workflow held up and which parts needed to change for a multi-species tool.
What worked
- • Short mobile forms got real participation
- • Confidentiality kept caretakers at the table
- • Agency partnerships turned reports into actions
- • A statewide layer was more useful than island-specific apps
- • People will use a map if they can see it without making an account
What changed
- • Sightings are public at hexagon scale rather than fully hidden
- • Ten species on one platform instead of one app per animal
- • Species and island determine which agency gets the report
- • High-priority reports surface immediately
- • iOS app for offline reporting in the field
The main shift: open data
CatMap kept colony locations confidential because the politics around feral cat care made that necessary. For most other invasive species the politics are different, and open sighting data does more good than harm. FeralMap aggregates points into H3 hexagons so neighborhood-scale patterns are visible without exposing specific addresses, and reporter contact info stays private.
Status
Species supported
More species forms as we build them.