Camera traps have been a key part of the conservation toolkit for decades. Remotely triggered video or still cameras allow researchers and managers to monitor cryptic species, survey populations, and support enforcement responses by documenting illegal activities. Increasingly, machine learning is being implemented to automate the processing of data generated by camera traps.
A recent study published showed that, despite being well-established and widely used tools in conservation, progress in the development of camera traps has plateaued since the emergence of the modern model in the mid-2000s, leaving users struggling with many of the same issues they faced a decade ago. That manufacturer ratings have not improved over time, despite technological advancements, demonstrates the need for a new generation of innovative conservation camera traps. Join this group and explore existing efforts, established needs, and what next-generation camera traps might look like - including the integration of AI for data processing through initiatives like Wildlife Insights and Wild Me.
Group Highlights:
Our past Tech Tutors seasons featured multiple episodes for experienced and new camera trappers. How Do I Repair My Camera Traps? featured WILDLABS members Laure Joanny, Alistair Stewart, and Rob Appleby and featured many troubleshooting and DIY resources for common issues.
For camera trap users looking to incorporate machine learning into the data analysis process, Sara Beery's How do I get started using machine learning for my camera traps? is an incredible resource discussing the user-friendly tool MegaDetector.
And for those who are new to camera trapping, Marcella Kelly's How do I choose the right camera trap(s) based on interests, goals, and species? will help you make important decisions based on factors like species, environment, power, durability, and more.
Finally, for an in-depth conversation on camera trap hardware and software, check out the Camera Traps Virtual Meetup featuring Sara Beery, Roland Kays, and Sam Seccombe.
And while you're here, be sure to stop by the camera trap community's collaborative troubleshooting data bank, where we're compiling common problems with the goal of creating a consistent place to exchange tips and tricks!
Header photo: Stephanie O'Donnell
No showcases have been added to this group yet.
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Article
Machine learning is widely recognized as the solution to camera trap data processing, but a user-friendly and broadly-accessible system for putting this tech to use has not yet been developed. In this case study,...
1 October 2018
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Motion-sensing wildlife-tracking cameras in South Sudan have captured 425,000 photos, documenting species not previously known to be found in this richly forested area. The team is now asking for your help to identify ...
22 August 2018
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In this case study, Sam Seccombe documents his efforts to track down an off-the-shelf remote camera setup with the capability to stream quality, reliable video from the field. As he explains, it was a slighlty more...
25 July 2018
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This latest chapter in the Conservation Technology Series from WWF-UK looks at the opportunities, challenges and state-of-the-art of satellite remote sensing for conservation applications. This issue reviews available...
23 April 2018
Funding
The Plant-Powered Camera Trap Challenge
Alasdair Davies
Are you an architect, engineer, designer or a scientist? Can you design and manufacture a prototype open source plant-BES (bio electrochemical system) to power a camera trap and environmental sensors in tropical forests...
3 April 2018
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#Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge 2018: Our Top 10
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Hundreds of people joined our #Tech4Wildlife photo challenge this year, showcasing all the incredible ways tech is being used to support wildlife conservation. We've seen proximity loggers on Tasmanian Devils in...
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Our panel of international experts has been hard at work reviewing the 47 proposals we recieved for innovative technological tools to address human wildlife conflict. The panelists have systematically been assessing the...
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Stephanie O'Donnell
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| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I think the big thing is power consumption. Commercial camera traps have a large power (current) dynamic range. That means they can often swing from ~0.1 mA to ~1000 mA of current... |
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Camera Traps | 8 months 3 weeks ago | |
| As others have said, pretty much all image models at least start with general-subject datasets ("car," "bird," "person", etc.) and have to be refined to work with more precision... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 8 months 4 weeks ago | |
| This is a thread for anyone who has questions about AI for Conservation Office Hours 2025.We're once again teaming up with Dan Morris from... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Community Base, Geospatial | 8 months 4 weeks ago | |
| Hi Eugene!Interesting project!I already signed up to test it!Cheers,Lars |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 9 months 1 week ago | |
| Thanks :)We are working on making it smaller and simpler using the latest openMV board. |
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Camera Traps | 9 months 1 week ago | |
| Hi everyoneMy first post on this site - not sure if this is the proper group.I've placed a few trail cams in Florida. After 3 months and... |
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Camera Traps | 9 months 1 week ago | |
| Hi Lucy,I now realised it is an old thread and you most likely have already found a solution long ago but this might be of interest to others.As mentioned previously, it is... |
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Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools, Open Source Solutions, Software Development | 9 months 1 week ago | |
| Yes baboons. But this area has a few different primate species. In the weekend three species were present.Yes, the thermal ones will be spectacular. I wondering what other species... |
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Camera Traps | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Hi Brett, I am interested in developing really low cost multi channel underwater acoustic recorders. Can you tell me a bit more about the board and stuff you were using... |
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Build Your Own Data Logger Community, Acoustics, Camera Traps, Climate Change, East Africa Community, Marine Conservation, Open Source Solutions, Protected Area Management Tools | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| For the record now that this is here:This error typically occurs when the wrong number of classes is given to timm.create_model. You should try to specify num_classes=30... |
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Camera Traps, AI for Conservation | 9 months 4 weeks ago | |
| Product added to the Inventory : Tikee |
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Camera Traps | 10 months ago | |
| Do you use camera traps? If so, we'd love if you could take five minutes to fill out this survey: tinyurl.com/zambasurveyWith our WILDLABS... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools, Software Development, Open Source Solutions | 10 months 1 week ago |
Resource: Wildlife Speed Cameras: Measuring animal travel speed and day range using camera traps
28 April 2016 2:39pm
7 August 2016 11:15pm
Hi Steph - just to follow up on your post: @MarcusRowcliffe , James Durrant and I have been working on a bit of software to implement the "computer vision" techniques that are mentioned in that paragraph. You can see a demonstration of it in action here. It requires camera-trappers to "calibrate" their camera traps during setup (or take-down), by taking pictures of a standard object (for example, we use a 1m pole held vertically) at different distances. The calibration takes ~10 mins per location. From this, you can reconstruct the paths that animals take infront of cameras, the total distance they travelled, and therefore their speed.
[ARCHIVED EVENT]: Approaches to Analysing Camera Trap Data
18 April 2016 3:45pm
5 August 2016 9:54pm
Hi Steph,
Only just discovered this site, so I'm a bit late to the game.
I'd love to hear what your main take-aways were from this meeting!
Best,
Louise
5 August 2016 10:35pm
Hi Louise,
Welcome! Unfortunately, an uncomfortably busy calendar meant I ended up missing this gathering. However, I'm sure that @SteffenOppel @Tomswinfield or @ali+johnston (I think you were all involved?) might be kind enough to jump in here and share some of their key take aways from this discussion?
Steph
How can technology help us monitor those small cold-blooded critters that live in caves?
25 July 2016 12:00am
Discussion: 360° Camera for Arboreal Camera Trapping
19 July 2016 2:38pm
Camera traps reveal mysteries of nature
18 July 2016 12:00am
Discussion: Self-powered camera trap
24 November 2015 7:36pm
1 December 2015 6:27pm
I was initially thinking of dozens or maybe even hundreds of nodes coming back to a central wired connection point. I wonder if something like Google's project Loon could work in place of an on-the-ground network.
But stepping back from the tech for a moment, really the problem we're trying to solve here is being able to have remote monitoring cameras that don't need anyone to go out to change batteries or memory cards. After salaries, vehicles/transportation is the top expense at pretty much all of the conservation partners we have. Anything we can do to reduce the travel (and the time of the people as well) is huge.
1 December 2015 6:37pm
So, in terms of power, does the "classic" solution with a set of solar panel cells on top of the box have some major flaws? I'm pretty sure I've seen self-powered meteo stations looking like this positioned along motorways/higways (don't remember what country or even a continent was it :-) Not being an expert in photo-voltaics, I would risk saying that a purposely-designed cell pointing up, directly at the sun, will have better efficiency than a re-purposed CMOS censor :-)
And indeed, talking to something overhead (either the baloons or Facebook's drones - forgot the name - or maybe even satellites?) would be probably much simpler than ground-based communication. If we had big enough energy budget, the communication channel would be "relatively easy" to implement...
4 July 2016 11:51am
Some camera trap manufacturers offer solar power as an add-on or option off the shelf. I agree that using the image seems like a solution looking for a problem.
The Highs and Lows of Camera Traps for Rapid Inventories in the Rainforest Canopy
4 July 2016 12:00am
Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge Accelerator Bootcamp
24 June 2016 12:00am
Project Feedback Wanted: Building Low Cost Cameras
2 March 2016 9:59am
11 May 2016 6:27pm
thanks for this very interesting post! i was also trying to develop an inexpensive camera trap but with not good results. i think the use of a PIR sensor can give more battery life than motion detection via software. Can you give more details about the components you used please?
Thanks
Paolo
20 May 2016 11:07pm
Hi Sorry been away, I'll list more about parts etc.. In the mean time the Pi Zero has just had an upgrade..
http://petapixel.com/2016/05/19/5-raspberry-pi-zero-now-camera-compatible/
TEAM Network and Wildlife Insights
28 April 2016 12:00am
Is Google’s Cloud Vision useful for identifying animals from camera-trap photos?
20 April 2016 12:00am
Disruptive Technology: Embracing the Transformative Impacts of Software on Society
10 March 2016 12:00am
[ARCHIVED]: Smithsonian Course: Camera Trapping Study Design and Data Analysis for Occupancy and Density Estimation
3 February 2016 2:25pm
Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge: Winners Announced!
22 January 2016 12:00am
The Social Lives of Conservation Technologies and Why They Matter
2 November 2015 12:00am
13 June 2016 4:59pm
Here's a set of tools that could be applicable to this idea
https://github.com/pfr/VideoSpeedTracker