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
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Careers
The Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies (WFE), SLU, Umeå, is looking for a postdoc with strong interests in wildlife conservation technology.
15 January 2025
Article
Announcement of Project SPARROW
Zhongqi Miao
SPARROW: Solar-Powered Acoustics and Remote Recording Observation Watch
18 December 2024
Careers
Postdoc on camera trapping, remote sensing, and AI for wildlife studies
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
The Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies (WFE), SLU, Umeå, is looking for a postdoc with strong interests in wildlife conservation technology. She/he will work within Big Picture, a European project...
18 December 2024
Careers
Postdoc on camera trapping, remote sensing, and AI for wildlife studies
Tim R. Hofmeester
Fully funded 2 year position within a Biodiversa+ funded project
16 December 2024
Link
AmazonTEC: 4D Technology for Biodiversity Monitoring in the Amazon (English)
Elsa Carla De Grandi
Interesting webinar on the use of advanced technologies(e.g. Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, drones, camera traps and satellites) for biodiversity monitoring in the Amazon. Also available in Spanish.
25 November 2024
Article
Apply Now: AI for Conservation Office Hours 2025
Jake Burton and 1 more
Are you stuck on an AI or ML challenge in your conservation work? Apply now for the chance to receive tailored expert advice from data scientists! The deadline for applications is Monday 9 December 2024.
13 November 2024
Article
📢Declas - New Open-Source Tool for Camera Trap Data🎉
Stanislas Mahussi Gandaho
Managing large volumes of camera trap data can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially when it comes to detecting and classifying wildlife. To tackle these challenges, Declas v1.0.0 has been released—an open-...
30 September 2024
Article
Join us in celebrating this year’s Community Choice Award winners!
15 August 2024
Article
Vote for your favorite submissions that best demonstrate conservation impact, novel innovation/discovery, and strong storytelling of the work and the sector.
12 August 2024
Link
AI Based Animal Detection Demo App for iPhone
Robert (Bob) Zak
In this post, I describe an animal recognition demonstration app I developed for the iPhone. The “MegaDetector-Demo” app uses the latest “MegaDetector” animal detector model from PyTorch-Wildlife to identify animals,...
11 August 2024
Link
Rapid Camera Trap labeling with ChatGPT
Sara Olsson
Hi all, I've published a blog post on rapidly labeling camera trap data using ChatGPT for species identification and a simple object detection model to get the bounding boxes. While presented in Edge Impulse, this...
17 July 2024
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| Vasudev I have had no issues using ubiquiti device and pushing internet out to 5 miles line of site, what I am curious what are you using for you camera on the other end, I... |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 5 months ago | |
| Antoineede they are a mesh style of camera, one links to the other and then send pictures back to the home unit where you either send them via cellular or you check the sd card.... |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 5 months ago | |
| Hi Morgan! We're currently still working out the exact terms. Are there any specific concerns that you had? |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 5 months ago | |
| Hey Ellie-- Glad to see you getting started with this. I'll speak to the data-storage question, it might be worth it for you to do something like paying for extra... |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 7 months ago | |
| Thank Capreolus, for your feedback, did you try it where the cellular network is weak? Thank you. |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 8 months ago | |
| Camera traps are widely used for studying terrestrial animal populations. One method for estimating animal abundance from data collected by... |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 9 months ago | |
| Hi everyone, We're half an hour away from our special Ethics panel episode today at 11 AM ET / 4 PM BST, where... |
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Ethics of Conservation Tech, Camera Traps | 3 years 9 months ago | |
| @Freaklabs Akiba may be interested? |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 10 months ago | |
| My guess is that the camera triggering will prove to be far less of a challenge than getting ethical approval for penning livestock where predators can reach them. If you have... |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 10 months ago | |
| Hi everyone, We're excited to welcome Nicole Flores to Tech Tutors to walk us through getting started with Wildlife Insights! ... |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools | 3 years 10 months ago | |
| Do you need the photos during the timelapse, or just all at once at the end? If the latter, how many exposures will you need per timelapse recording? Depending on your... |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 10 months ago | |
| Dear Anthony and Michal, Many thanks for the suggestions! Anthony, I have sent you a message through the site you linked to. I'd be interested to know more about the... |
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Camera Traps | 3 years 10 months ago |
