Jälgimise

Jälgimine is an Estonian term meaning tracking or monitoring. It describes the act of following the movement, state, or development of a subject over time in order to collect information. The concept is used across disciplines, ranging from natural sciences to social sciences and information technology.

In wildlife biology, jälgimine refers to tracking animals using GPS collars, radio telemetry, camera traps, or acoustic tags to study movement, habitat use, and behavior. In criminology and law enforcement, tracking can denote techniques for following a suspect or monitoring a crime pattern, subject to legal restrictions and ethical guidelines. In environmental monitoring and industry, jälgimine involves continuous observation of systems such as weather, water quality, or machinery to detect anomalies and ensure safety and efficiency. In information technology and digital services, it refers to collecting data about user interactions, system events, or device states, often described as telemetry or analytics.

Ethical and legal aspects: Tracking activities raise privacy and civil liberty concerns. In the European Union and Estonia, data collection and surveillance are governed by privacy laws and the GDPR, requiring lawful basis, transparency, purpose limitation, and data minimization.

See also: monitoring, telemetry, surveillance, privacy.