Poster Australian Marine Sciences Association 2022

Automating Remote Underwater Video systems data management with QR Codes (#533)

Nick Mortimer 1 , John Keesing 1
  1. Oceans and Atmosphere, CSIRO, Crawley, WA, Australia

Recently we have been developing long-running stereo remote underwater video systems using standard parts and methods used by many groups to capture fish and benthic assemblages. As a single camera system generates 1Tb of video data per 24 hour period, it was quickly discovered that conventional manual data management was not practical, and we would have to explore methods for automatically transferring, renaming, and filing video files. Reporting was also required to verify that all data was being captured and backed up. Recent firmware release from GoPro enabling the programming and embedding of metadata in video files using QR Codes has enabled us to develop a streamlined process for managing remote underwater video image data that is more reliable and requires much less manual intervention.  Our system makes use of the latest USB standards to achieve high-speed backup, checking and renaming of video files, producing analysis-ready data in near real-time. We demonstrate the use of QR codes and GoPro Labs firmware to automate data flow and explore new possibilities for increased data quality and automation.