WildObs data standards

Modified on Thu, 26 Feb at 1:23 PM

WildObs uses the Camera Trap Data Package (Camtrap DP) standard for structuring camera trap data. This ensures all data is consistent, well-documented, and ready for analysis or sharing. For more information on what information is shared, visit Data sharing terms.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is Camtrap DP?
Why Camtrap DP?
WildObs extensions
How was Camtrap DP chosen?
Interoperability with other standards
- Darwin Core (DwC)
- Australian Biodiversity Information Standard (ABIS)
Example data package
Further reading

What is Camtrap DP?

Camera Trap Data Package (Camtrap DP) is an open, community-driven standard designed for easy, consistent, and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) sharing of camera trap data.

Each data package includes 4 files:

File	Description
datapackage.json	Project-level metadata (who, where, what, when) including sampling design, overall spatio-temporal extent, and which contributors are associated with the project.
deployments.csv	Details of when, where, and how each camera trap was deployed in the field.
media.csv	Information about each photo and/or video file associated with observations.
observations.csv	Species detections and identifications - full capture history for each camera trap, organised as detection events to group together media from the same detection.

This structure links each media file its corresponding metadata in a tidy, consistent format that is ideal for analysis or integration with other datasets.

For more technical detail, visit the offical Camtrap DP documentation.

Why Camtrap DP?

Using a standardised format means data can be combined with other projects, reused by future researchers, easily analysed by tools developed by other scientists, and discovered through national and international biodiversity networks.

Camtrap DP was chosen for WildObs because it is:

Machine- and human-readable - The structured format ensures data is easy to work with programmatically, while being readable without technical knowlege.
Tool-ready - Camtrap DP is a Frictionless data package, designed to make data directly ingestible using R or Python.
Interoperable - Camtrap DP is easily converted to other biodiversity standards, such as Darwin Core, the standard supported by WildObs partners Atlas of Living Australia and Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Actively maintained - Camtrap DP is a community-developed standard managed by the Machine Observations Interest Group of the international Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) organisation.

WildObs extensions

Minor extensions to the Camtrap DP standard are used by WildObs to accommodate Australian conditions, enhance analysis and support WildObs-specific workflows:

File	Description
covariates.csv	Additional environmental, spatial, and temporal covariates linked to each deployment. These details are calculated from spatial information contained in Camtrap DP deployments.csv.
WildObs-specific datapackage.json fields	Additional fields within the datapackage.json file capture information about the project and data sharing preferences. This information informs how the associated dataset is treated within WildObs.

For an example of the information available in the covariates.csv table and how it can be used for analysis, please visit the EcoCommons Single-Species Single-Season Occupancy Model - Practical Notebook.

How was Camtrap DP chosen?

Camtrap DP was selected as the core standard for WildObs after extensive investigation into different data standards and hosting solutions. A number of the WildObs team members were co-authors on the Camtrap DP publication Bubnicki et al. (2023), which involved consultation and outreach with the camera trap community to best overcome technical shortcomings of previously available formats. A key outcome in selection of a standard for WildObs was interoperability with partner platforms.

Interoperability with other standards

Camtrap DP is designed for seamless exchange with other biodiversity data standards. It is important that data submitted to WildObs can be discovered and reused across national and international biodiversity networks without contributors needing to reformat or resubmit their data. Learn more about the partners WildObs data is shared with, visit Where is WildObs data published?.

Darwin Core (DwC)

Darwin Core is the main international standard for reporting occurrence data in biodiversity science. It is used by the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Darwin Core and Captrap DP were both developed by Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG). Camtrap DP is specifically designed for easy mapping and conversion to Darwin Core to ensure WildObs data is discoverable globally. The camtrapdp R package has tools to quickly transform Camtrap DP to Darwin Core.

Australian Biodiversity Information Standard (ABIS)

The Australian Biodiversity Information Standard (ABIS) is a flexible model for biodiversity information with the aim to incorporate detailed biodiversity information. It implements the TERN ontology which represents plot-based ecological surveys. ABIS is used by Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) and the Australian federal Biodiversity Data Repository (BDR). Mapping the Camtrap DP standard to ABIS is in progress to allow for full compatibility with TERN EcoPlots and Australian government repositories.

Example data package

View examples of the files in the data package:

Additional detail about file fields, including WildObs-specific metadata fields, is provided in WildObs_data_fields.csv.