A web-based digital camera for monitoring remote wildlife

Abstract

Passive and active infrared camera systems and, more recently, videography have been used in wildlife research to assist in data collection. Traditional camera systems can be expensive and labor-intensive, and are limited in operation time by film length and battery life. Current camera systems are neither computer- nor network-oriented and do not allow for near real-time retrieval and storage of data. We describe a web-based, digital camera system for monitoring wildlife in remote, inaccessible environments. Between February 2002 and December 2003, our web-based camera system collected 486 digital photographs of west Texas wildlife. The key advantage of our camera system is that it allows for unobtrusive monitoring of secretive and often unobservable species in their natural habitat. Because our system is web-based, high-resolution photographs of wildlife can be posted on a web page for viewing, offering a unique teaching tool for grade school and university students who may not have the opportunity to visit these remote, inaccessible areas. Although our camera system was expensive ($12,000 U.S.), it offers a self-sustaining technique for monitoring wildlife in remote regions that allows for easy data retrieval and storage.