iNat BioPoster TrailCam — browser tool for preparing trail camera observations
Goal of the tool:
To help trail camera users review local videos, capture screenshots, organize records, and prepare observation data for iNaturalist.
Niche it fills in the iNaturalist ecosystem:
It helps with the step before uploading: reviewing many trail camera videos, selecting good frames, confirming date/time, and organizing observations.
Is there a commercial component, or do you plan to include one in the future? Are donations requested?:
No commercial component at the moment.
The tool is free to use, and there is no paid access. In the future, I may consider accepting voluntary donations to help buy trail cameras for wildlife records in Brazil.
Trail cameras are difficult to buy locally in Brazil. When I import them from the United States, the main problem is not foreign taxes, but Brazilian import taxes. Because of the current Brazilian government, these import costs can be extremely high, sometimes 100% or more of the camera price.
Any possible future donation option would be voluntary and would not affect access to the tool.
What sort of data does your app collect from its users?:
The app does not collect user data on my server. Videos stay on the user’s computer. The app only works with files the user selects in the browser.
At the moment, iNaturalist login/upload is disabled because the app does not yet have an approved iNaturalist application key.
Link to your iNaturalist profile:
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/polones
Description:
Hi everyone,
I am developing a tool called iNat BioPoster TrailCam:
https://inatbiopostertrailcam.pages.dev/
It is a browser-based tool for people who work with trail camera videos. It can open local videos, capture JPG screenshots, help with date/time information, organize reviewed videos, and save a local observation package with photos and metadata.
The app is still in development. Direct login/upload to iNaturalist is not active yet because I do not currently have the required authorization key for an iNaturalist application.
Because of this, I am also working to make the tool useful locally: users can prepare and save observation packages on their own computer, with the idea of uploading them to iNaturalist later. I plan to request the iNaturalist application key in the near future, when I meet the requirements.
For now, I would like to share the working preview and invite people to test the interface and workflow.
Discussion questions or areas seeking feedback:
I would appreciate feedback about:
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whether this workflow is useful for trail camera users;
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the best way to structure local export files;
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date/time metadata in JPGs;
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geoprivacy and sensitive locations;
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suggestions before enabling future iNaturalist upload.
Thank you!
You can try it here: https://bioposter.pages.dev/ Menu TrailCam App
