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: ACEAA-Conservacion Amazonica
- @BenMiles
- | He/Him
Wildlife conservation/zoo biology student, ectotherm keeper @ Chester Zoo, keen passion in Herpetology with a particular focus on Varanidae
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 3 Groups
- @Agnethe
- | She/her
PhD researcher at Cardiff University looking at computer vision in disease ecology
![Inventory Beta Tester](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/2024-05/Inventory%20Beta%20Tester_0.png?itok=O8g9bW7P)
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 8 Groups
- @ZestyResolution
- | He/Him
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- @Bibou
- | Her
Student at Bordeaux Sciences Agro
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 2 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 3 Groups
- @billardball8
- | She/Her
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 6 Groups
![Conversation starter level 1](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/2024-02/Conversation%20starter%201_0.png?itok=XEfKth_h)
- 0 Resources
- 7 Discussions
- 2 Groups
- @SareachChea
- | Sareach
Conservation International
I graduated in Ms of Entomology, and currently I work with Conservation International Cambodia as Biodiversity and Science Senior Coordinator.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 7 Groups
Sensing Clues Foundation
![WILDLABS Event Speaker](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/2024-02/WILDLABS%20Event%20Speaker_0.png?itok=94TUk9ZY)
![Commenter level 2](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/2024-02/Commenter%202_0.png?itok=bOR1iVGW)
![Conversation starter level 1](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/2024-02/Conversation%20starter%201_0.png?itok=XEfKth_h)
- 0 Resources
- 44 Discussions
- 9 Groups
Senior Wildlife Research Scientist
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 7 Groups
- @Nycticebus_scientia
- | he/they
MammalWeb.org
Co-founded citizen science camera-trapping project with interest in developing 100% open source wildlife tech. Advocate for open science/open research. Community Councillor at the Gathering for Open Science Hardware.
![Commenter level 1](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/2024-02/Commenter%201_0.png?itok=Qhj_yHVF)
![Inventory Beta Tester](/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/2024-05/Inventory%20Beta%20Tester_0.png?itok=O8g9bW7P)
- 0 Resources
- 16 Discussions
- 2 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 11 Groups
Are you ready for this year's #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge? In anticipation, we're counting down our ten favourite entries from last year. Do you think you can top these?
1 March 2017
The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) is a training and capacity building programme that targets individuals from developing countries who are early in their conservation career and demonstrate leadership...
21 November 2016
Do you work on conserving Neotropical migratory birds? Do you need funding? Why not apply for a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act's grant program? The...
8 November 2016
Article
The internet has a long love affair with cat pictures, but these aren’t your mom’s internet cats. Now internet cats are getting even bigger and wilder. In this article, Dr. Lisa Feldkamp talks about the work Panthera is...
26 October 2016
Caves don't tend to be well-liked ecosystems, being extremely dark, often quite cramped, and slippery. And the creepy-crawlies that live within them can be the stuff of nightmares. Nevertheless, one's attitude towards...
25 July 2016
Sharing personal 'best of' animal pictures is a favorite pastime of many camera trappers. A prolific camera trapper himself, Roland Kays has pulled together more than 600 images collected by 152 researchers from 54...
18 July 2016
Can camera traps placed in trees offer a way to rapidly inventory secretive arboreal mammals? How does this approach compare with traditional survey techniques? Dr Andy Whitworth and his colleagues set out to answer...
4 July 2016
Operating the largest tropical forest camera trap network globally, TEAM Network has accumulated over 2.6 million images. How can large datasets coupled with new techniques for data management and analysis provide...
28 April 2016
Camera traps have revolutionised wildlife research and conservation, enabling scientists to collect photographic evidence of rarely seen and often globally endangered species, with low expense, relative ease, and...
20 April 2016
When Victoria Espinel, President and CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance, spoke at the WWF Fuller Symposium, she took us on a whistle-stop tour of case studies where software and data are transforming our understanding...
10 March 2016
From artificial “sniffer” technologies to portable DNA sequencers, the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge received hundreds of innovative ideas to help stamp out wildlife crime. Now, the Challenge is proud to announce 16...
22 January 2016
New technologies offer a lot of potential for conservation, but are there potential risks to deploying these new technologies? In this first thought piece for the Ethics of Conservation Tech Group, Dr Chris Sandbrook...
2 November 2015
September 2024
October 2024
38 Products
Recently updated products
Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
---|---|---|---|---|
@pvlun Thank you for the pointer to keep the frame level detections. I'll give it a try next week.@dmorris Thanks for the description of MDs video processing. I didn't even... |
+24
|
Camera Traps | 7 hours 40 minutes ago | |
Hi AlexThank you so much for the imput 🙏 |
|
Camera Traps | 2 days 13 hours ago | |
Depending on how much drift there is it may be a fixed offset caused by the timer not restarting until you have finished puttin gin al the settings. You set the time, then do all... |
|
Camera Traps | 1 week ago | |
Thank you for elaborating, @evebohnett ! And for the heads ups! |
+22
|
Camera Traps, Drones | 1 month ago | |
[oops, the same reply got submitted twice and there doesn't seem to be a "delete" button] |
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 1 month 2 weeks ago | |
Hi @zhongqimiao ,Might you have faced such an issue while using mega detectorThe conflict is caused by:pytorchwildlife 1.0.2.13 depends on torch==1.10.1pytorchwildlife 1.0.2.12... |
+6
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Open Source Solutions | 1 month 1 week ago | |
Thanks, and that's a match! All these pictures are from a lab experiment and formated with AmphIdent. We took weekly belly pictures of several larvae. The aim of this google... |
|
Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools, Software and Mobile Apps | 1 month 2 weeks ago | |
Hi, this is pretty interesting to me. I plan to fly a drone over wild areas and look for invasive species incursions. So feral hogs are especially bad, but in the Everglades there... |
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Open Source Solutions, Software and Mobile Apps | 1 month 2 weeks ago | |
Hi everyone!@LashaO and @holmbergius from the Wild Me team at ConservationX Labs gave a superb talk at last month's Variety Hour,... |
|
AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 1 month 2 weeks ago | |
Can't beat Dan's list! I would just add that if you're interested in broader protected area management, platforms like EarthRanger and SMART are amazing, and can integrate... |
|
Data management and processing tools, Camera Traps, Conservation Tech Training and Education | 1 month 2 weeks ago | |
EcoAssist is an application designed to streamline the work of ecologists dealing with camera trap images. It’s an AI platform that... |
|
Software and Mobile Apps, AI for Conservation, Camera Traps | 2 months ago | |
Hi @Alasdair Great to hear from you! Thanks for the comment and for those very useful links (very interesting). And for letting @Rob_Appleby know. I can't wait to hear... |
|
Emerging Tech, Camera Traps, Conservation Tech Training and Education | 2 months 1 week ago |