Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference

Capturing omnidirectional digital media potentially documents individuals, populations, and habitats in far richer ways than text descriptions, traditional digital images/video, and other strategies. Here, we present protocols that we are developing that apply the latest consumer- and professional-grade technologies and best-practice recommendations to biodiversity research and conservation needs. Our protocols have the additional benefit of producing media that can be used for immersive media delivery (e.g., using a VR headset), as well as 3D modeling of a site using structure-from-motion photogrammetry. The benefits of 360 cameras might reasonably make it an essential tool for biodiversity collecting expeditions and similar in the future.

Co-authors: Nicole James, Florida State University