discussion / Camera Traps  / 15 May 2018

Feedback Needed: Time lapse imagery

We want to understand  how or if time-lapse imagery is used to monitor wildlife and landscapes in real-time and we would appreciate 2 minutes of your time to complete a short 1 minute (we promise!) questionnaire.

Even if you don’t use time-lapse or real time imagery please let us know! We’re also interested to learn if there are potential use cases within your work where it may be beneficial.

Your feedback will help us prioritise requirements for the development of Instant Detect 2.0; a tool being developed by ZSL to help conservationists get image data sent over satellite at low cost. In particular, we need to understand if a satellite enabled, real time, time-lapse camera would be of value to you and your work.

Quick background info

What is time-lapse?

Unlike most camera traps which use motion detection, a time lapse camera is pre-configured to capture still images at a set time in the day. The camera can be configured to every minute, hour, day or week. Most camera traps used by conservationists have a time-lapse setting so hopefully you are familiar with the technology. If not then please reach out and I can happily explain in more detail.  

What can real-time, time-lapse be used for?

In general, time-lapse cameras are used to monitor larger areas to understand where animals or humans are moving and if there are changes to a landscape. Some sample case studies are:

  • Estimated breeding success of cliff nesting seabirds
  • Monitoring Adele penguin colony populations in Antarctica
  • Monitoring melting glaciers in Canada so researchers can target field visits
  • Raising awareness of returning plastic pollution in remote islands

What’s Instant Detect?

Instant Detect is a wildlife and threat monitoring system designed for the world’s most demanding environments; from the Antarctic to the Saharan Desert. It combines low power sensors, camera traps and acoustic sensors to detect humans and wildlife. Satellite technology sends the data in real-time from virtually anywhere in the world to an intuitive data management tool. This allows conservationists to gather data from hard to reach areas so they can monitor wildlife behaviour and changes to their remote habitats. Instant Detect is also being used to help tackle the poaching of threatened species by providing an early warning system of illegal activity. Alerts on the movements of poachers are sent to rangers so they can respond to these threats.