News

  • Minor fixes: battery reporting and start time

    by Shaun Ryan

    We've released a minor update to the DOC AI Cam today. This includes

    • a fix to improve the accuracy of the battery percentage calculation, and
    • a fix to when the camera starts recording in high power mode with the default recording window (it was starting half an hour after sunset, rather than half an hour before)

  • Refreshed Cacophony Portal

    by Shaun Ryan
    Update: This is released now ( Feb 24, 2026: 3:00) Tomorrow we are releasing a refreshed version of the Cacophony Portal. We will have interruption...
    Posted in Cacophony Portal

  • Reliability improvements

    by Shaun Ryan
    We have just released a small improvement that significantly improves the reliability of the cameras. The main impact is improved communications - ...

  • Hanmer Trapping group makes effective use of a camera.

    by Shaun Ryan

    The Hanmer Springs Trapping Group is a great case study of how a small group can benefit from just one DOC AI Cam. They have been able to get a better understanding of the pests and birds and engage the community. After the trial they were able to purchase the camera (with the cost of the rental taken off).

    Posted in Bird Monitor, Interesting videos, Thermal Camera

  • Kōkako, bittern and dotterel now recognised

    by Shaun Ryan

    The DOC AI Cam now recognises kōkako, dotterels and bitterns.

    Posted in Bird Monitor

  • Reduce false positives with masking

    by Shaun Ryan

    Mask off a portion of the field of view of the thermal camera, so that movement in the masked off region won’t trigger a recording. This is useful if you have some areas that have movement that you’re not interested in. For example, water, sky, or foliage.

    Posted in Cacophony Portal, Software updates, Thermal Camera

  • Bug release fixes clock issues

    by Shaun Ryan

    We have just released a small software fix for the DOC AI Cam. This fixes an issue some cameras were having with their clocks not working correctly

  • Hamilton City Council: Improved outcome monitoring at a lower cost

    by Shaun Ryan

    Hamilton City Council is using DOC AI Cams to save monitoring costs and significantly improve monitoring. The information is allowing them to take actions that will help protect endangered species.

    Posted in Bird Monitor, Cacophony Portal, Thermal Camera

  • Monitoring the impact of 1080 and the reinvasion rate

    by Shaun Ryan

    DOC AI Cams are used to monitor an area of bush near Kauri Mountain in Northland during a 1080 treatment. The cameras provide an easy way to see the impact of the 1080 and rates at which the animals return. They also provide a great way to measure the impact on bird life.

    Posted in Bird Monitor, Interesting videos, Thermal Camera

  • DOC AI Cam update: Support for faster Wi-Fi

    by Shaun Ryan

    A software update for the DOC AI Cam that includes a number of bug fixes and support for faster Wi-Fi.

    Posted in Bird Monitor, Thermal Camera

  • How birdlife is changing in Akaroa

    by Shaun Ryan

    This is an analysis of how birdlife is changing in Akaroa. It was created by re-processing historic bird recordings now that many more birds can be automatically recognised. Tui and bellbirds have increased significantly, while blackbirds and morepork have decreased.

    Posted in Bird Monitor, Cacophony Portal

  • Thermal AI improvements

    by Shaun Ryan

    We have rolled out some improvements to our thermal AI models, both on the server and on the camera.

    Posted in Thermal Camera