These requirements apply always, whatever design the cameras follow. Without them the data are effectively lost for analysis.
What you must record
- Location coordinates. Record them in the field, during installation. An error of up to 100 m is acceptable. It is safer to record them twice: in the SMART protocol plus a screenshot from another GPS app.
- Location ID. It is unique within the institution and does not change between seasons if the camera stays in the same place.
- Date and time of installation and removal.
- Correct time in the camera. Before arming, check the date and time against your phone. After arming, photograph an A4 sheet with the date and time written on it.
Warning: a wrong date does more harm than a wrong time. A digital clock on a phone is worse than a sheet of paper, because it often does not show the date.
What to hand over
- All frames from the card, without selection or renaming.
- Do not delete empty frames. They record that the camera was working, that is, the effort in camera-days. AI sometimes sees an animal where a frame looks empty to a person. Without empty frames a species looks rarer than it is.
- The only exception: delete frames showing soldiers or military equipment before handing over. Keep civilians and vehicles, because they show human pressure.