You might check out what's listed in the Directory - for example, DroneMapper, though this is paid (not sure if they'd give you any discount). The one I have heard most about is OpenDroneMap though. Or perhaps check out GeoNadir?  

Hi Lindy, ODM has a steep learning curve but is fantastic once you understand it. I have much better results than from commerical services, although we were just stitching fairly small (<10ha) areas.

Have a look at WebODM Lightning, this is a paid-for, but very cheap, processing service using ODM that is more similar to commercial services (upload your images, press go). You can upload using the web interface or a Windows app. 

Hi Lindy,

WebODM has now a native Windows installer version which costs around 147 $ once - https://opendronemap.org/webodm/download/.

Is has almost all the advantages of the high priced softwares and even presets for some use cases.

Best regards!

Steffen

I am looking forward to the SRI2023 conference ( link below )

If you're mostly busy getting your tech to work, it might be a bit out of your comfort zone.

However, if you're at the point of realizing that the local community, their neighbors, their ( local ) government,  companies with an interest, and many other actors all have some bearing on the tech that you are setting up, and all may have an interest in the data that you are capturing ... then this conference may be a place to start.

This is the third SRI conference, and, frankly, I have been to none of the previous for practical reasons, so I don't know exactly what to expect. Perhaps it is too high level for me, but I am looking forward to it.

Hi! 

Rainforest Connection is currently in the process of UX/UI research for our audio data analysis platform, Arbimon. I'll forward this thread to our lead on this.

The folks at ConservationX might have some insights as well with testing of the NABIT and Sentinel. 

Hi,

I'm the UX researcher at Rainforest Connection (RFCx). I use research methods such as interviews, usability testing, and card sorting to understand scientists' pain points and needs while using the bioacoustic monitoring platform, Arbimon. 

In terms of tools, I use Figjam for brainstorming and mapping, Notion for a research repository, Zoom for interviews, and Figma for prototyping. I'm exploring how to use ChatGPT to speed up my process too! I use it to draft recruitment emails, summarize transcripts etc. I try to use tools that are either low-cost or that RFCx already has subscriptions of. 

Since I'm a UX team of one, I also partner with University student groups/practicum courses to let UX students take on some of our projects. 

Feel free to reach out; I'm always happy to chat.

Hi Tom,

I'm with Akiba, you have to test.  A collaborator has deployed solar-augmented kit in secondary jungle and some of them got enough light, and others didn't, so it can work.  The open circuit voltage of solar panels doesn't change a whole lot in dim light, but the current drops drastically.  So you would choose an oversize panel of the same voltage (or a bit higher).

Thanks

I've been intrigued by this topic. Thinking about ways you could use drones or some kind of launcher to deploy panels above the canopy. Sadly I live in the great white north so I have no way of testing any concepts. Maybe even some kind of solar balloon that could float above the canopy. Interesting design problem.

Hey Tom,
Since the output is dependent on a couple of factors such as the solar irradiance of the place, shading from the canopy, the type of solar panels (mono, poly or amorphous) and orientation of the panels, etc, I'd suggest you use a software to simulate the different parameters to get an almost accurate estimation of the output. You can try PVsyst- it has a free month trial (I haven't used it before but I hear it's great) or any other PV software :)

I've been using it a bit for GIS and remote sensing. Automating code snippets and fixing errors.

Also used it for a few excel queries and some marketing related tasks.

What I'm so excited about is if it is this good now what's ai going to be like 10 years from now?

I really think 2023 is the year ai is going mainstream and people are going to have that 'aha so this is what it is all about moment'.

Great idea for a discussion Isobel. I was thinking also that it is likely to be a tool for good (rather than evil). 

I have no idea how to use it (was googling about it yesterday...), so any infom shared here within WildLabs would be greatly received by many, I believe.

C.

Really excited to see ChatGPT making waves even in this community! I think there's a huge amount of potential for not just ChatGPT, but LLMs (large language models) and NLP (natural language processing) more broadly, to have concrete impacts on conservation. Like others have already mentioned, it can definitely be useful as a coding assistant, especially for people who don't have the strongest programming skills (and I recommend anyone to check out tools such as RTutor if you haven't already!). Beyond that, the utility within the context of scientific research could be quite potent. Climate scientists have begun to leverage NLP in a variety of contexts, e.g. using ClimateBERT to analyze climate risk disclosures, and I have seen conversations about the possibility of using NLP to analyze biodiversity offset initiative reporting, for example. Personally, I also see some really exciting opportunities for using ChatGPT and other NLP tools to assist in knowledge management, synthesis, dissemination etc.

I have some pretty concrete ideas about what this could look like, but more than anything I'd be really curious to discuss it in this community to see what use cases people can imagine! @StephODonnell if you're looking for someone to facilitate a conversation on this I'd be happy to host! I've been hosting some conversations on ChatGPT within a different industry and it's sparked some really cool conversations 🤗