Camera System Development and Distribution

Organizations we have built camera systems for and helped establish an in-house digital image processing capacity include:

• USGS: National Gap Analysis Program and Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit
• Advanced Resource Technology Center, University of Arizona
• U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• National Science Foundation (NSF grant at the University of Massachusetts)
• Conservation International
• ANGAP, Government of Madagascar (U.S.A.I.D. contract)
• Winrock International
• Geoprocessing Laboratory at Mt. Holyoke College
• Colorado Department of Wildlife
• First Peoples Worldwide.

In conjunction with First Peoples Worldwide, we have developed a simplified aerial camera and computer system that handles all aspects of data management from flight planning and in-flight navigation to the construction of georeferenced mosaics. Based on a Kodak natural color 4,500 by 3,000 pixel camera operated from a laptop, this system can be assembled for less that $7,000. We have developed training manuals to help build monitoring capacities of indigenous organizations and non-profit groups. If you are interested in obtaining operating manuals, please contact us.

We are currently working with Sujoy Chaudhuri of the Indian non-profit corporation Ecollage to incorporate this capacity into his TerraLOOK program, a free open source GIS developed with funding from the USGS Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN). Our long-term goal is to distribute these camera systems to local indigenous organizations so that they can monitor and manage their own resources.