Using SMART Data Smarter

A Step-by-Step Guide for Practical Spatial Analysis of Hotspots

Why This Matters

In protected areas around the world, SMART has transformed how ranger patrols are recorded, monitored, and reported. It’s an incredible step forward: more conservation teams now have years of patrol and incident data at their fingertips. However, collecting data is only part of the story. If we don't analyse it meaningfully, we risk missing the very insights that could make patrols safer, more effective, and more targeted.

This guide shares a practical, field-tested method for using spatial analysis — with free tools like QGIS and R — to move beyond counting patrol kilometres and start better understanding patterns of illegal activity. By doing so we can help conservation teams shift from reporting what happened to predicting and preventing where risks are highest.