SMART Partnership
SMART Partnership is a non-profit consortium of eight global conservation organizations that develops free, open-source software for managing and protecting wildlife and protected areas across more than 100 countries and 1,200 sites.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What SMART Partnership does
SMART Partnership is a non-profit consortium of eight leading global conservation organizations — WWF, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Wildlife Protection Solutions, Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), Zoological Society of London (ZSL), North Carolina Zoo, Panthera, and Re:wild — established in 2011 to address the chronic under-management of protected areas. The partnership develops and maintains the SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) platform, an open-source suite of conservation management software that standardizes wildlife and habitat data collection, analysis, and reporting across terrestrial and marine protected areas.
The SMART platform consists of three interconnected products: SMART Desktop (a desktop application for Windows, Mac, and Linux used for data model configuration, queries, and reporting), SMART Mobile (an Android field data collection app powered by CyberTracker with GPS, photo, audio, and offline capability), and SMART Connect (a cloud-based platform for real-time data synchronization, multi-site management, and integration with external data sources such as Global Forest Watch). The platform also integrates PAWS (Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security), a Harvard-developed machine learning tool for predictive patrol planning. SMART is deployed across more than 100 countries at over 1,200 conservation sites, with multilingual support in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, and a free online training platform developed with the University for International Cooperation.
SMART generates no direct software revenue: the platform is free, open-source, and maintained through funding and governance contributions from its eight partner organizations. The partnership's GTM is community-led, relying on a global practitioner network, regional training workshops (e.g., the 2022 Kenya training with 40+ participants from 8 African countries), the SMART Community Forum, and events such as the inaugural Applied Conservation Technology Congress (ACT Con) in Hanoi in 2025. In 2025 the partnership also formed the SMART–EarthRanger Conservation Alliance (SERCA) with EarthRanger to expand its technology footprint and analytics capabilities.
SMART Partnership firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SMART Partnership
- Legal name
- SMART Partnership
- Website
- https://smartconservationtools.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SMART Partnership is a non-profit consortium of eight global conservation organizations that develops free, open-source software for managing and protecting wildlife and protected areas across more than 100 countries and 1,200 sites.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SMART Partnership industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Conservation Management Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Smart Building Software Platforms (IWMS/CAFM Integration, Digital Twin, Command Center) (BPABAGAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ), Remote Monitoring & Connected Pet Care (Wearables, IoT, Chronic Care Programs) (HLAMAGAL)
Keywords
Where SMART Partnership is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SMART Partnership business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Free Open-Source Software: SMART software is open-source, non-proprietary, and freely available to all users. The platform is maintained through funding and support from the partner conservation organizations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Platform - No Cost |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
SMART Partnership product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The SMART Partnership develops and freely distributes the SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) platform — an open-source, non-proprietary suite of conservation management software. The platform comprises three core products: SMART Desktop (desktop application for Windows/Mac/Linux), SMART Mobile (Android field data collection app powered by CyberTracker), and SMART Connect (cloud-based real-time data management). It enables standardized wildlife monitoring, patrol data collection, threat assessment, law enforcement support, and reporting for protected and conserved areas. The platform is complemented by free online training and multilingual technical manuals.
Product overview
The SMART Partnership offers a comprehensive, open-source conservation management platform consisting of three interconnected products: SMART Desktop (desktop application for Windows/Mac/Linux), SMART Mobile (Android field data collection app powered by CyberTracker), and SMART Connect (cloud-based platform for real-time data management across multiple sites). The platform is freely available, non-proprietary, and supports a broad range of conservation activities including biodiversity monitoring, law enforcement, tourism management, natural resource use tracking, and threat assessments. The ecosystem includes comprehensive technical manuals, an online learning platform developed with the University for International Cooperation, and strategic initiatives like the SERCA alliance with EarthRanger. The platform is deployed across more than 100 countries and 1,200 sites worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Standardized data collection enabling improved conservation management decisions across 100+ countries and 1,200+ sites
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use SMART Partnership
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SMART Partnership technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability4 records
Feature7 records
SMART Partnership partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- WWFcoreOne of the 8 founding partner organizations of the SMART Partnership. WWF contributes to the governance, technology development, and capacity building initiatives. Hosts regional training events (e.g., WWF-Kenya organized 2022 SMART National Training in Kenya with participants from 8 African countries).
- WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)coreLead organization member that operates the SMART website on behalf of all partners. Provides technology leadership through CTO Jonathan Palmer. Supports field implementation globally including WCS Belize country programs.
- Wildlife Protection SolutionscoreOne of 8 active partner organizations contributing to the SMART Partnership for wildlife protection and conservation technology.
- FZS (Frankfurt Zoological Society)coreOne of 8 active partner organizations of the SMART Partnership, supporting conservation management and protected area initiatives.
- ZSL (Zoological Society of London)coreOne of 8 active partner organizations. Provides technology leadership through Anthony Dancer (Chief Technology and Conservation Monitoring). Contributes to training programs and capacity development.
- North Carolina ZoocoreOne of 8 active partner organizations. Contributes to governance through Richard Bergl (Director of Conservation, Education and Science).
- PantheracoreOne of 8 active partner organizations focused on wild cat conservation. Led by José Smith (Director of Conservation Action).
- Re:wildcoreOne of 8 active partner organizations. Contributes through Barney Long (Director of Conservation Strategies) and James Slade (Capacity Council Chair and Steering Committee Chair).
- CyberTrackercoreTechnology partner powering SMART Mobile application. Co-founder Justin Steventon collaborates on field testing and feature development for mobile data collection.
- University for International Cooperation (UCI)majorAcademic partner that collaborated with SMART to develop the online learning platform. Developed approximately 40-hour training courses for SMART users, administrators, and decision-makers, available in multiple languages.
- EarthRangercorePartner in the SMART-EarthRanger Conservation Alliance (SERCA). EarthRanger, developed by Ai2, provides real-time data visualization and analysis for wildlife and habitat protection. Joint initiative to strengthen management of protected areas worldwide.
- Save Vietnam's WildlifemajorLocal hosting partner for ACT Con 2025 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnamese conservation NGO engaged in species and habitat protection and community outreach.
- Harvard UniversitymajorAcademic partner developing PAWS (Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security) - a machine learning application integrated with SMART for predictive patrol planning. Researchers Lily Xu and Sonja Johnson-Yu lead field testing at conservation sites.
- Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST)majorGovernment partner hosting ACT Con 2025 in Hanoi. Ministry of Agriculture and Environment body responsible for forestry sector digital transformation and nature conservation.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SMART Partnership competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- QGIS: QGIS is a popular open-source desktop GIS used heavily by conservation organizations for spatial analysis and mapping. It addresses the same analytical and reporting layer that SMART Desktop targets, with a partially overlapping user base.
- Fulcrum: Fulcrum is a commercial mobile data-collection and field-operations platform used in environmental monitoring and conservation programs. It overlaps with SMART Mobile for offline field data capture and mobile workflows.
- Open Data Kit (ODK): ODK is a widely used open-source mobile data-collection toolkit deployed across global health, agriculture, and conservation. It targets the same field-data-collection use case as SMART Mobile and is a frequent alternative for low-resource field deployments.
- Dimagi (CommCare): Dimagi's CommCare is an open-source mobile data-collection and case-management platform widely used in global development and increasingly in conservation. It shares SMART's offline-first mobile field-data paradigm and is deployed in low-resource settings similar to SMART's user base.
- Wildlife Protection Solutions: Wildlife Protection Solutions is one of SMART's eight partner organizations and provides complementary conservation-technology hardware (camera traps, sensors) integrated with the SMART platform. It represents the adjacent ecosystem of dedicated conservation-tech vendors that overlap with SMART's mission.
Broad incumbents
- Carto: Carto is a commercial location-intelligence and spatial-analysis platform with environmental and conservation use cases. It competes for the same cloud-based mapping and analytics workload that SMART Connect addresses, but serves a much broader enterprise customer base.
- Mapbox: Mapbox provides mapping and location-platform infrastructure used by many conservation and field-operations applications. While it offers underlying tooling rather than a turnkey conservation product, it competes for the same mapping and visualization layer that SMART Connect provides.
- Esri (ArcGIS): Esri's ArcGIS is the dominant geospatial platform used by conservation agencies, with conservation-specific extensions and applications. As a broader incumbent, it serves overlapping use cases (spatial monitoring, patrol planning, reporting) but is not specialized for ranger workflows like SMART.
Direct peers
- EarthRanger: EarthRanger (developed by Ai2, formerly Vulcan) is a real-time data visualization and analytics platform for protected-area and wildlife security management. It is the most direct functional peer to SMART and is now a SERCA alliance partner, addressing the same protected-area manager and ranger personas with overlapping capabilities.
- CyberTracker: CyberTracker is a mobile data-capture platform specifically built for field rangers and conservationists. It already powers SMART Mobile and shares the same end-user persona and field-data-collection paradigm, making it both a technology partner and a direct comparable.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SMART Partnership social profiles
Digital presenceSMART Partnership financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SMART Partnership leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
SMART Partnership funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SMART Partnership M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SMART Partnership
What does SMART Partnership do?
The SMART Partnership develops and freely distributes the SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) platform — an open-source, non-proprietary suite of conservation management software. The platform comprises three core products: SMART Desktop (desktop application for Windows/Mac/Linux), SMART Mobile (Android field data collection app powered by CyberTracker), and SMART Connect (cloud-based real-time data management). It enables standardized wildlife monitoring, patrol data collection, threat assessment, law enforcement support, and reporting for protected and conserved areas. The platform is complemented by free online training and multilingual technical manuals.
Is SMART Partnership a public or private company?
SMART Partnership is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SMART Partnership founded?
SMART Partnership was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SMART Partnership based?
SMART Partnership is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does SMART Partnership make money?
One revenue line is on record: free Open-Source Software.
Who are SMART Partnership's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are QGIS, Fulcrum, Open Data Kit (ODK), Dimagi (CommCare) and Wildlife Protection Solutions. Broad incumbents are Carto, Mapbox and Esri (ArcGIS). Direct peers are EarthRanger and CyberTracker.
Does SMART Partnership have an API?
No public API is recorded for SMART Partnership.
What industry is SMART Partnership in?
SMART Partnership's product category is Conservation Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABAGAG, Smart Building Software Platforms (IWMS/CAFM Integration, Digital Twin, Command Center), with a secondary code of BPAIANAJ, Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7372.