The tool we needed didn’t exist. So we built it.

Our research group started using remote trail cameras in 2005 when the first digital versions became available. We were thrilled with the relatively inexpensive, non-invasive technique that allowed us to survey our study animal as well as the majority of medium to large mammal species at our study sites. Like many enthusiastic biologists we kept expanding our camera trapping efforts without a plan to manage the growing number of photos we were collecting.

We used a combination of free/paid software on different platforms to rename photos with a unique ID, extract the photo metadata, and add in animal ID data to a lengthy spreadsheet. This workflow was complicated, difficult to train new or temporary team members on, and mistakes were commonly made but difficult to correct. There were not any better options available, and we desperately needed a better system.

PhotoGoFer was created in 2011 as a collaborative project between our research group and a conservation minded software engineer to solve the problem of how to deal with our large volumes of trail camera data. Since then the software has been refined through testing by dozens of users with hundreds of thousands of photos processed from different study sites and graduate projects in North America and South Africa. 

At PhotoGoFer we want to help people maximize their research potential and the data that can be collected through the lens of remote cameras by making it easier to collect and share data from the photos you worked hard to capture.