Abstract
The use of camera traps has become increasingly popular in recent years as camera technology has improved and equipment costs have decreased. Despite their popularity and widespread use current, commercially available camera traps suffer a number of weaknesses, and have so far failed to embrace the advantages of wireless, satellite and Internet technology. The dot.rural WiSE (Wireless Internet Sensing Environment) project is researching and testing new digital image capture and transport techniques for remote and automated wildlife monitoring. Here we describe a solar powered system that is currently deployed and live in the Cairngorms National Park. The system combines image and video capture to monitor a remote study site. Image capture is controlled by multiple, configurable sensors that can run singularly or in series. The system includes sufficient processing power to allow on-board image processing to reduce the volume of unwanted (false positive) images and management of metadata. The system is linked via satellite Internet that allows two way communications between the system and end user. Successful field testing of the system has shown the potential advantages of remote image capture, data access and system management over satellite Internet in wildlife research, and indeed any remote asset management scenario.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 14 May 2014 |
Event | Digital Conservation Conference - University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom Duration: 21 May 2014 → 23 May 2014 |
Conference
Conference | Digital Conservation Conference |
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Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Aberdeen |
Period | 21/05/14 → 23/05/14 |