imageomics/thewilds_cameratraps

Dataset Card for The Wilds Camera Trap Data

This dataset contains images and video captured from camera traps deployed at The Wilds safari park in Ohio during Summer 2025. It supports ecological monitoring, animal behavior analysis, and biodiversity studies.

Dataset Details

This dataset was created to support wildlife monitoring research using camera traps. Data were collected using various camera trap models, with each camera recording photos and videos in the wild. The images are organized by site deployment session, providing valuable data for species detection, behavioral analysis, and biodiversity monitoring.

Supported Tasks and Leaderboards

• Image Classification: Species identification from camera trap images
• Object Detection: Animal detection and localization in natural environments
• Behavioral Analysis: Activity pattern studies and wildlife monitoring
• Biodiversity Assessment: Species richness and abundance estimation

[No benchmarks currently available]

Dataset Structure

The dataset is organized hierarchically by site and deployment session:

/dataset/
    The_Wilds_Camera_Trap_Log2025-06-30_21_56_00.csv
    The_Wilds_Camera_Trap_Log2025-07-04_20_18_08.csv
    TW01-CT02/
        SD02_20250630_20250703/
            images/
                NSCF0002_250630121802_0022.JPG
                NSCF0002_250630121802_0023.JPG
                NSCF0002_250630121803_0024.JPG
                ...
                NSCF0002_250702065001_0437.JPG
                NSCF0002_250702065001_0438.JPG
                NSCF0002_250702065002_0439.JPG
            metadata.txt
    TW02-CT03/
        SD03_20250630_20250703/
            images/
                DSCF0008.JPG
                DSCF0009.JPG
                DSCF0010.JPG
                ...
                DSCF0060.AVI
                DSCF0061.AVI
                DSCF0062.AVI
            metadata.txt
    TW03-CT01/
        SD01_20250630_20250703/
            images/
                100MEDIA/
                    NSCF0001_250630130551_0081.MP4
                    NSCF0001_250630130604_0082.JPG
                    ...
                    NSCF0001_250630164902_0999.JPG
                101MEDIA/
                    NSCF0001_250630164902_0001.JPG
                    NSCF0001_250630164902_0002.MP4
                    ...
                    NSCF0001_250630205901_0999.JPG
                102MEDIA/
                    NSCF0001_250630205901_0001.JPG
                    NSCF0001_250630205902_0002.JPG
                    NSCF0001_250630205902_0003.MP4
                    ...
                    NSCF0001_250701010702_0999.MP4
                103MEDIA/
                104MEDIA/
                105MEDIA/
                106MEDIA/
                107MEDIA/
                108MEDIA/
            metadata.txt
    TW04-CT04/
        SD04_20250630_20250704/
            101MEDIA/
                DSCF0152.JPG
                DSCF0153.JPG
                DSCF0154.JPG
                ...
                DSCF0833.JPG
                DSCF0834.JPG
                DSCF0835.MP4
            metadata.txt

Data Instances

Each camera trap deployment folder (e.g., TW01-CT02/SD02_20250630_20250703/) contains:

• Images folder: Contains .jpg image files captured by motion detection
• Video files: .mp4 format videos in some deployments (stored in 101MEDIA for CT04)
• Metadata file: metadata.txt with deployment information and camera settings

Images vary in resolution and quality depending on camera model and environmental conditions. Videos are typically short clips (10 seconds) triggered by motion detection.

Data Fields

metadata.txt (found in each deployment folder):

• Camera Trap ID: Unique device identifier (e.g., CT01, CT02, CT03, CT04)
• Trap Model: Camera model name (e.g., GardePro T5NG, Trail Camera)
• Camera Serial Number: Manufacturer-assigned serial number
• Site ID: Location code where deployed (e.g., TW01, TW02, TW03, TW04)
• Deployment Location Description: Text description of deployment site
• GPS Coordinates: Latitude and longitude in decimal format
• Deployment Date and Time: Camera deployment timestamp (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM format)
• Retrieval Date and Time: Camera retrieval timestamp (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM format)
• Camera Configuration: Settings including photo/video mode, resolution, trigger sensitivity
• Maintenance Notes: Configuration changes or technical issues during deployment
• Observer: Name or initials of person completing metadata

CSV Log Files:

• The_Wilds_Camera_Trap_Log2025-06-30_21_56_00.csv: Deployment log from June 30, 2025
• The_Wilds_Camera_Trap_Log2025-07-04_20_18_08.csv: Retrieval log from July 4, 2025

Data Splits

This dataset has no predefined training/validation/test splits. Data are organized by site (TW01-TW04) and deployment session. Users may create their own splits based on:

• Temporal splits: Using deployment dates
• Spatial splits: Using different site locations
• Camera-based splits: Using different camera trap IDs

Recommended approach depends on modeling goals and research questions.

Dataset Creation

Curation Rationale

This dataset supports behavioral ecology research, development of automated species detection models, and studies of animal activity patterns. Camera traps provide non-invasive monitoring of wildlife behavior and are essential tools for conservation biology and ecological research.

Source Data

Data Collection and Processing

Camera trap data were collected at The Wilds safari park during summer 2025 using GardePro and Trail Camera models. Cameras were strategically deployed at four sites (TW01-TW04) using four different camera units (CT01-CT04).

Cameras were configured to capture both photos and videos based on motion detection. The deployment period was from June 30 to July 3-4, 2025. Upon retrieval, data were organized into folders by site and deployment session, with each deployment containing an images folder and metadata file describing camera settings and deployment context.

Who are the source data producers?

The dataset was collected and curated by researchers and students from the Imageomics Institute and Ohio State University in collaboration with conservation staff at The Wilds safari park in Ohio.

Annotations

Annotation process

No species or behavioral annotations are currently provided with this initial dataset release. Manual and AI-assisted labeling efforts for species identification, behavioral classification, and bounding box annotations are planned for future versions.

Who are the annotators?

N/A - annotations will be added in future releases

Personal and Sensitive Information

The dataset includes GPS coordinates within The Wilds, a public conservation park in Ohio. Some images may contain endangered or sensitive species, though specific species identifications are not currently provided. Spatial coordinates have not been redacted as they fall within a public conservation area.

Considerations for Using the Data

Images and videos exhibit natural variation in quality due to weather conditions, lighting changes, motion blur, and camera settings. Some footage may be partially obstructed by vegetation, contain false triggers from wind-blown plants, or show camera malfunctions. The data represent a specific temporal window (summer 2025) and geographic location, which should be considered when generalizing findings.

Bias, Risks, and Limitations

• Sampling bias: Camera traps were deployed strategically at ecological hotspots rather than randomly, potentially overrepresenting certain species or behaviors
• Temporal limitations: Data represent only a 3-4 day deployment period in summer 2025, limiting seasonal representation
• Detection bias: Motion-triggered cameras may miss slow-moving species or have reduced detection rates for small animals
• Spatial bias: Limited to four sites within The Wilds, may not represent broader regional wildlife patterns
• Technical limitations: Variable image quality due to different camera models and environmental conditions

Recommendations

Users should consider the ecological and methodological context when analyzing this data. The dataset is best suited for proof-of-concept studies, algorithm development, and preliminary ecological analyses. For robust ecological conclusions, combination with additional seasonal data and broader spatial sampling would be beneficial.

Future dataset releases may include additional deployment periods, seasonal data, and species annotations to address current limitations.

Licensing Information

This dataset is dedicated to the public domain under a CC0 license for the benefit of scientific pursuits. Users are encouraged to cite the dataset and acknowledge contributors when using this data in research or applications.

Citation

BibTeX:

Data

@misc{thewilds_cameratraps_2025,
  author = {Tanishka Wani and Vedant Patil and Rugved Katole and Bharath Pillai and Anirudh Potlapally and Ally Bonney and Jenna Kline},
  title = {The Wilds Camera Trap Data},
  year = {2025},
  url = {https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/thewilds_cameratraps},
  publisher = {Hugging Face}
}

Paper

@article{kline2025smartwilds,
  title={SmartWilds: Multimodal Wildlife Monitoring Dataset},
  author={Kline, Jenna and Potlapally, Anirudh and Pillai, Bharath and Wani, Tanishka and Katole, Rugved and Patil, Vedant and Covey, Penelope and Steven, Samuel and Subramoni, Hari and Berger-Wolf, Tanya and Stewart, Christopher},
  journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2509.18894},
  year={2025}
}

Acknowledgements

This project is supported by the AI Institute for Intelligent Cyberinfrastructure with Computational Learning in the Environment (ICICLE), which is funded by the US National Science Foundation under Award #2112606, and by the Imageomics Institute, which is funded by the US National Science Foundation's Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR) program under Award #2118240 (Imageomics: A New Frontier of Biological Information Powered by Knowledge-Guided Machine Learning).

This work is also supported by the AI and Biodiversity Change (ABC) Global Center. The ABC Global Center is funded by the US National Science Foundation under Award No. 2330423 and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada under Award No. 585136. This dataset draws on research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, or Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Special thanks to Dan Beetem and The Wilds in Ohio for providing access to deployment sites and supporting this wildlife monitoring research. We thank the Columbus Zoo Aquarium for their support in facilitating this project. All data collection, including drone flights, was conducted under the supervision of the Director of Animal Management, with permission from The Wilds Animal Care and Use Committee.

Glossary

• Camera Trap: Motion-activated camera used for wildlife monitoring
• Deployment: Period when a camera trap is installed and actively recording
• Site ID: Geographic location identifier (TW01-TW04 in this dataset)
• Camera Trap ID: Individual camera device identifier (CT01-CT04 in this dataset)
• SD Card Session: Data collection period identified by SD card and date range

Dataset Card Authors

Tanishka Wani, Vedant Patil, Rugved Katole, Bharath Pillai, Anirudh Potlapally, Ally Bonney, and Jenna Kline

Dataset Card Contact

For questions about this dataset, please open a discussion on the Hugging Face dataset page or contact the Imageomics Institute.