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Summary

The entomological lidar is a non-invasive, autonomous and weatherproof optical remote sensing instrument for the detection of insects in flight. By sending out a laser beam with specific infrared wavelengths, the backscattered signals from animals flying through the beam will contain information about their size, wing beating frequencies and spectral properties. This can be used to distinguish insect groups to varying extents in order to determine activity trends and biodiversity. The beam is invisible to most insects, and no behavioral response has been observed yet. Many components are 3D printed to make the instrument cheaper and more accessible. After the initial setup and calibration, data can be autonomously collected 24/7 nearly indefinitely. This enables long-term monitoring, which is the goal of a network of 10 lidars currently being set up in southern Scandinavia.

Deutsch

Software: code repository will be made available eventually

 Figure 1:  Schematic view of instrument interior

a)

b)

Figure 2: Device in the field. a) Lidar deployed for testing at an ecological station in Sweden b) Lidar deployed at a rewilding site in Denmark

 

Figure 3: a) Example of an insect signal collected by the lidar at each of the two wavelengths and b) calibrated time-intensity plot of the same signal.

Figure 4: Overall outline of data processing steps

Technical details (hardware and software)

  • Processing unit: ASUS Nuc 12 Pro Core i7 1260P Tall Barebone 
  • Transmitted wavelengths: 808 nm and 980 nm (near infrared)
  • Detection range: 7 m to 120 m, adjustable during setup
  • Range resolution: <5 %
  • Runtime: continuous with 80% uptime
  • Camera: Coptonix USB Line Camera 8M with S12198-1024 sensor
    • Pixel pitch: 25 μm x 500 μm
    • Number of pixels: 1024
    • Sample rate: 7.8 kHz
    • SNR: <3000:1
  • Power supply: connection to power grid
  • Power consumption: 50 – 100 W
  • Average transmitted power: 4 W
  • Weight: 8 kg (without additional casing)
  • On-device processing: removal of weather effects and cropping of insect signals; full processing currently off-site
  • Attractant: none, insects are detected in free flight
  • Storage: 800 GB, sufficient for several years of 24/7 data collection
  • Front-facing visible and infrared webcams for following long-term changes in environment
  • Extra components: The power supply box can house a 4G router and antenna for remote data transfer
  • Components price: ~8500 €

Contact:

Timotej Zuntar
timotej.zuntar@fysik.lu.se

Leonard de Causmaecker
leonard.de_causmaecker@fysik.lu.se

Katrine Eskildsen
katrine.eskildsen@fysik.lu.se

Developed at: Lund University (LU), Sweden

Project homepage: https://mbrydegaard.com/