New WildObs paper highlights challenges and opportunities in camera trap research

A comprehensive review of a decade of camera trap data on Australian terrestrial vertebrates recently published in Biological Reviews underscores the transformative potential of the Wildlife Observatory of Australia (WildObs) for wildlife research, highlighting how it could significantly improve the efficiency, quality, and scale of research and management outcomes while solidifying Australia's position as a global leader in wildlife monitoring.

Co-authored by prominent ecology researchers, including contributors to the WildObs, the study synthesises findings from existing literature, an online survey of 132 professionals, and insights from a workshop with 28 leading experts. The research concludes that WildObs has the potential to revolutionise large-scale, long-term wildlife monitoring in Australia. However, achieving this requires a paradigm shift towards adopting best practices for collecting, curating, sharing, and analysing ‘Big Data.’

Dr Zachary Amir is a Principal Data Scientist at the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) working on WildObs and a co-author on the article.

“Australia has led the way in deploying wildlife cameras to monitor species across diverse landscapes, but this review identifies critical challenges in realising their full potential,” said Dr Amir.

“Camera traps can capture huge amounts of high-quality data, but their potential is not being fully realised due to lack of standardised national research infrastructure.”

To overcome these barriers, the paper proposes the creation of WildObs—a collaborative effort led by the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN),

the Atlas of Living Australia, and the Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation (QCIF), with contributions from universities, government agencies, and conservation organisations.

Barriers to large-scale camera trap environmental monitoring

Camera traps have proven invaluable for tracking wildlife behaviour, abundance, and ecosystem responses to threats such as climate change, bushfires, and invasive species. However, researchers face key barriers that limit their effectiveness:

Data Silos: Fragmented data storage and a lack of standardised sharing protocols hinder collaboration and large-scale research.
Analytical Gaps: Advanced techniques, like hierarchical modelling, are under-utilised, leaving researchers with less robust insights.
Taxonomic Biases: Studies are heavily focused on larger mammals in accessible areas, leaving significant knowledge gaps about other species and habitats.

Figure 4 in Bruce et al 2024: Questionnaire participants indicated which taxa they sampled with cameras, summarised here with larger areas reflecting more users. Animal symbols courtesy of the NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub, nesplandscapes.edu.au.

WildObs: Australia’s first national platform for camera trap wildlife data

The Wildlife Observatory of Australia (WildObs) is designed to overcome these barriers by creating an integrated, innovative solution. The initiative will:

Develop Australia's first national digital platform for applying robust AI computer vision models to classify wildlife from images and rapidly generate species detection data from images in a format suitable for sharing wildlife data.
Facilitate collaboration between researchers, governments, and NGOs
Provide training and tools to support researchers in adopting advanced data analytics, including hierarchical modelling.

The Role of QCIF

As a key partner in WildObs, QCIF is leveraging its expertise in machine learning, data infrastructure, and community engagement to make wildlife monitoring more accessible, efficient, and impactful.

"By harnessing QCIF’s expertise in data infrastructure and machine learning, WildObs is not just improving how we manage wildlife data—it’s enabling researchers to generate new insights at a scale never before possible," says Dr Jenna Wraith, Project Manager of WildObs.

By integrating previously siloed camera trap data into a unified, standardised database, WildObs will provide researchers and policymakers with powerful tools and data to address pressing biodiversity challenges.

Engaging the Research Community

WildObs will also support a strong community of practice by hosting workshops, training sessions, and demonstrations to ensure the initiative aligns with the needs of the wildlife monitoring community.

For more information about this initiative and to get involved, visit the WildObs website or contact the QCIF Sustainable Futures team.

WildObs received co-investment from ARDC (doi.org/10.3565/bvg2-b035) and TERN, which are both enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

Read the full paper: Large-scale and long-term wildlife research and monitoring using camera traps: a continental synthesis.