Camera trapping and invasions of privacy : an Australian legal perspective

Camera trapping is a scientific survey technique that involves the placement of heat-and motion-sensing automatic triggered cameras into the ecosystem to record images of animals for the purpose of studying wildlife. As technology continues to advance in sophistication, the use of camera trapping is becoming more widespread and is a crucial tool in the study of, and attempts to preserve, various species of animals, particularly those that are internationally endangered. However, whatever their value as an ecological device, camera traps also create a new risk of incidentally and accidentally capturing images of humans who venture into the area under surveillance. This article examines the current legal position in Australia in relation to such unintended invasions of privacy. It considers the current patchwork of statute and common laws that may provide a remedy in such circumstances. It also discusses the position that may prevail should the recommendations of either the Australian Law Reform Commission and/or New South Wales Law Reform Commission be adopted and a statutory cause of action protecting personal privacy be enacted.

Now we can “see the forest and the trees too” but there are risks : Camera trapping and privacy law in Australia

The use of camera traps in wildlife management is an increasingly common practice. A phenomenon which is also becoming more common is for such camera traps to unintentionally film individuals engaged in a variety of activities, ranging from the innocent to the nefarious and including lewd or potentially embarrassing behaviour. It is therefore possible for the use of camera traps to accidentally encroach upon the privacy rights of persons who venture into the area of surveillance. In this chapter we describe the legal framework of privacy in Australia and discuss the potential risk of this sleeping tiger for users of camera traps. We also present the results of a survey of camera trap users to assess the frequency of such unintended captures and the nature of activity being filmed before discussing the practical implications of these laws for camera traps users in this country and make recommendations.

PhD forum : multiple camera management using wide base-line matching

Manual calibration of large and dynamic networks of cameras is labour intensive and time consuming. This is a strong motivator for the development of automatic calibration methods. Automatic calibration relies on the ability to find correspondences between multiple views of the same scene. If the cameras are sparsely placed, this can be a very difficult task. This PhD project focuses on the further development of uncalibrated wide baseline matching techniques.

Design and evaluation of an image analysis platform for low-power, low-bandwidth camera networks

We describe the design and evaluation of a platform for networks of cameras in low-bandwidth, low-power sensor networks. In our work to date we have investigated two different DSP hardware/software platforms for undertaking the tasks of compression and object detection and tracking. We compare the relative merits of each of the hardware and software platforms in terms of both performance and energy consumption. Finally we discuss what we believe are the ongoing research questions for image processing in WSNs.

Characterization of electron trapping in dye-sensitized solar cells by near-IR transmittance measurements

In situ near-IR transmittance measurements have been used to characterize the density of trapped electrons in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Measurements have been made under a range experimental conditions including during open circuit photovoltage decay and during recording of the IV characteristic. The optical cross section of electrons at 940 nm was determined by relating the IR absorbance to the density of trapped electrons measured by charge extraction. The value, σn = 5.4 × 10-18 cm2, was used to compare the trapped electron densities in illuminated DSCs under open and short circuit conditions in order to quantify the difference in the quasi Fermi level, nEF. It was found that nEF for the cells studied was 250 meV over wide range of illuminat on intensities. IR transmittance measurements have also been used to quantify shifts in conduction band energy associated with dye adsorption.

Camera Botanica 1

Camera Botanica 1 - testing a design process (unrealised buildings). ---------- Sited in a highly biodiverse and bushfire prone heathlands on the South-east coast of Western Australia, Camera Botanica 1 is a test of a new design methodology for achieving ecologically sustainable architecture in biodiverse, bushfire prone landscapes. ---------- The design methods were intensively site-based with the author-designer conducting his own site surveys using high-end professional grade surveying equipment such as: Real Time Kinematic GPS (landform survey); Terrestrial laser scanning (vegetation survey); laser levelling and Total Station surveys (erection of scaffolds and contour lines). ---------- This was the first time, internationally, that terrestrial laser scanning was used to measure vegetation. These precise surveys enabled the construction of highly detailed models and drawings - a facility that has not been available prior to this technology. ---------- Designed for a real client and a real site - Camera Botanica 1 is a hypothetical design outcome which demonstrates the efficacy of a new design methodology and thus expands on knowledge of the applicability of new surveying technologies to the design of ecologically sustainable architecture in biodiverse landscapes.

Camera Botanica 2

Camera Botanica 2 - testing a design process (unrealised building). Sited in a highly biodiverse and bushfire prone heathlands on the South-east coast of Western Australia, Camera Botanica 2 is a test of a new design methodology for achieving ecologically sustainable architecture in biodiverse, bushfire prone landscapes. ---------- The design method was intensively site-based with the author-designer conducting his own site surveys using high-end professional grade surveying equipment such as: Real Time Kinematic GPS (landform survey); Terrestrial laser scanning (vegetation survey); laser levelling and Total Station surveys (erection of scaffolds and contour lines). ---------- This was the first time, internationally, that terrestrial laser scanning was used to measure vegetation. These precise surveys enabled the construction of highly detailed models and drawings - a facility that has not been available prior to this technology. ---------- Designed for a real client and a real site - Camera Botanica 2 is a hypothetical design outcome which demonstrates the efficacy of a new design methodology and thus expands on knowledge of the applicability of new surveying technologies to the design of ecologically sustainable architecture in biodiverse landscapes.

Demonstration of image compression in a low-bandwidth wireless camera network

This paper presents an overview of our demonstration of a low-bandwidth, wireless camera network where image compression is undertaken at each node. We briefly introduce the Fleck hardware platform we have developed as well as describe the image compression algorithm which runs on individual nodes. The demo will show real-time image data coming back to base as individual camera nodes are added to the network. Copyright 2007 ACM.

Real-time image streaming over a low-bandwidth wireless camera network

In this paper we describe the recent development of a low-bandwidth wireless camera sensor network. We propose a simple, yet effective, network architecture which allows multiple cameras to be connected to the network and synchronize their communication schedules. Image compression of greater than 90% is performed at each node running on a local DSP coprocessor, resulting in nodes using 1/8th the energy compared to streaming uncompressed images. We briefly introduce the Fleck wireless node and the DSP/camera sensor, and then outline the network architecture and compression algorithm. The system is able to stream color QVGA images over the network to a base station at up to 2 frames per second. © 2007 IEEE.

Mapping a suburb with a single camera using a biologically inspired SLAM system

This paper describes a biologically inspired approach to vision-only simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) on ground-based platforms. The core SLAM system, dubbed RatSLAM, is based on computational models of the rodent hippocampus, and is coupled with a lightweight vision system that provides odometry and appearance information. RatSLAM builds a map in an online manner, driving loop closure and relocalization through sequences of familiar visual scenes. Visual ambiguity is managed by maintaining multiple competing vehicle pose estimates, while cumulative errors in odometry are corrected after loop closure by a map correction algorithm. We demonstrate the mapping performance of the system on a 66 km car journey through a complex suburban road network. Using only a web camera operating at 10 Hz, RatSLAM generates a coherent map of the entire environment at real-time speed, correctly closing more than 51 loops of up to 5 km in length.

Featureless vehicle-based visual SLAM with a consumer camera

The Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping (SLAM) problem is one of the major challenges in mobile robotics. Probabilistic techniques using high-end range finding devices are well established in the field, but recent work has investigated vision-only approaches. We present an alternative approach to the leading existing techniques, which extracts approximate rotational and translation velocity information from a vehicle-mounted consumer camera, without tracking landmarks. When coupled with an existing SLAM system, the vision module is able to map a 45 metre long indoor loop and a 1.6 km long outdoor road loop, without any parameter or system adjustment between tests. The work serves as a promising pilot study into ground-based vision-only SLAM, with minimal geometric interpretation of the environment.