Wildlife monitoring and biodiversity data platform — overview, features, and a user guide.
Overview
SPARROW is a wildlife monitoring and biodiversity data platform designed to help research teams manage camera-trap and bioacoustic surveys from data collection through to reporting and export. It combines automated wildlife detection, species identification, review workflows, annotation tools, and biodiversity reporting within a single collaborative workspace. The platform is built for both traditional camera-trap surveys and near real-time wildlife monitoring projects using connected field devices.
Images, audio and sensor data can arrive from multiple sources including wireless GSM and 4G camera traps, email-connected cameras, FTPS uploads, live RTMPS video streams from drones, manual uploads, satellite and SPARROW field devices. As new data arrives, SPARROW automatically processes it using AI models that detect animals and optionally identify species. Results are organised into project workspaces where researchers can review detections, correct labels, remove false positives, and manage survey data collaboratively.
SPARROW is designed for conservation organisations, universities, environmental agencies, protected areas, and ecological research teams working with large volumes of biodiversity data. Projects support multiple users with role-based permissions, allowing field staff, reviewers, analysts, and project managers to work together within the same survey. Each project is private by default, only the account that created it and the collaborators the explicitly invide can view or work on the data.
Alongside image review and annotation, SPARROW includes tools for deployment management, biodiversity reporting, standards-compliant data export, notifications, and long-term project organisation. Camera deployment metadata follows the Camtrap DP biodiversity standard, helping projects remain publication-ready and simplifying future export to biodiversity archives such as GBIF.
Getting Started
SPARROW is free to use.
Register for an account.
Create a new project — upload images and add your camera deployments.
Security & Privacy
SPARROW is hosted on Microsoft Azure. Every project is private by default: only the account that created it and the collaborators it has explicitly invited can view, download, or search the data inside.
Uploaded content — images, detections, audio, and deployment metadata — remains the property of the uploader and their nominated collaborators.
Features
Collecting data from the field
SPARROW supports multiple ways of collecting wildlife monitoring data so projects can choose the workflow that best fits their deployment. Images can arrive automatically from wireless field cameras through monitored email inboxes or FTPS uploads, drones can publish live video into the platform over RTMPS for near real-time review, and researchers running offline surveys can manually upload folders of images and videos directly through the dashboard. SPARROW edge devices can also upload data automatically using the platform API for near real-time monitoring projects.
Duplicate images are detected automatically, making it safe to re-upload folders or retry failed transfers without creating duplicate records inside a project.
Camera deployments and metadata
Each camera deployment in SPARROW stores the metadata required for biodiversity reporting and standards-compliant export. Deployment records can include start and end dates, camera model, mounting height or water depth, camera orientation, habitat description, feature type, bait use, and deployment notes.
This metadata is collected as part of the normal project workflow, helping ensure projects remain organised and publication-ready throughout long-term monitoring programmes. SPARROW supports both terrestrial and aquatic deployments.
Review workspace
The SPARROW workspace provides a collaborative environment for reviewing detections and validating results. Images are displayed in a gallery view with detection boxes and species labels overlaid directly on the image.
Filters help teams quickly locate records by species, camera, date range, deployment, or review status, while batch actions speed up common review tasks across large datasets.
Annotating detections
Reviewers can confirm detections, correct species labels, remove false positives, and add their own annotations on individual images. The per-image view exposes detection bounding boxes and label tools side-by-side, making review quick and accurate.
Beyond automated identification, this manual review workflow underpins long-term biodiversity data quality — every detection in a published dataset has been verified by a domain expert.
More features
Real-time monitoring
Connected cameras and SPARROW devices deliver new data continuously, with detections appearing in the workspace within minutes of capture — no waiting for SD cards.
Automated detection & classification
On-server AI models locate animals in every frame and optionally identify species. False triggers are filtered before review; thresholds tune precision per project.
Biodiversity reporting & export
One-click PDF reports with species counts, independent detection counts, and per-camera breakdowns. Standards-compliant export for sharing with biodiversity archives.
Notifications & species alerts
In-dashboard alerts highlight new project activity. Per-project email alerts notify named recipients when target species are detected — useful for invasive species monitoring and rapid response.
Team collaboration
Owners, managers, editors, and viewers — give field staff, analysts, and stakeholders exactly the access they need within each project.
Supported Hardware
SPARROW integrates with a range of field hardware. The tables below list the devices that have been tested end-to-end against the platform — other models from the same manufacturers often work without changes, but the entries below are the reference deployments.
Camera traps
SPARROW is camera-agnostic. Camera traps deliver images either by uploading directly over FTPS or by emailing them to a monitored inbox. SPARROW supports both ingestion paths.
Tested Camera
FTPS
SMTP (email)
Reolink Ranger Keen
✓
✓
Reolink Go
✓
✓
Reconyx HS2XC HyperFire 2 Cellular
—
✓
GPS trackers
GPS trackers can be attached to any project as an optional add-on. SPARROW polls the tracking provider periodically and stores the full position history alongside the project's image and audio data.
Device
Integration
Notes
GSat Solar Enhanced
GSatTrack JWT API
Add via the project edit page; polled every 5 minutes; full position history retained and rendered as colour-coded polylines on the tracking map
Drones (RTMPS live video)
Drones can publish live video directly into SPARROW over RTMPS (encrypted RTMP). The platform records the incoming stream into short segments and feeds each one through the same video processing pipeline as a manually uploaded clip — frames are extracted, AI inference runs on every frame, and the results appear in the project workspace within a minute or two of the segment closing.
Tested aircraft / controller
Streams to SPARROW
DJI drones with the DJI RC Pro 2 controller
✓
Other drones and controllers sending data over RTMPS should be possible, we haven't tested them yet.
SPARROW field devices
SPARROW field devices run AI inference on the edge and upload pre-classified detections directly into the platform. Each device is provisioned with a one-time onboarding key that becomes its persistent API credential.
Device
Integration
Notes
SPARROW edge device
SPARROW REST API
Edge-classified images and audio plus device telemetry (battery, CPU temperature, Starlink link state); per-device settings managed from the dashboard
Water SPARROW
SPARROW REST API
Audio recordings plus water sensors (temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen); per-device API key authentication
User Guide
Project types — choosing the right workflow
SPARROW supports several project types depending on how data will enter the platform.
Project type
Use this when…
realtime
Your camera sends images by email using GSM or 4G connectivity
realtime_ftp
Your camera uploads images directly using FTPS
batch
You upload images manually from your computer
drone RTMPS
Your drone streams live video directly to SPARROW using RTMPS (available on realtime, realtime_ftp, and batch projects)
sparrow
You are using a SPARROW edge device
water_sparrow
You are using a SPARROW water monitoring device with audio and sensor data
Different project types enable different ingestion pipelines and configuration options, but all projects use the same review, annotation, and reporting tools once data arrives in the workspace.
User roles and permissions
SPARROW supports role-based access control so multiple people can work within the same project safely and efficiently.
Role
Permissions
Owner
Full control of an individual project including deletion
Manager
Can manage project settings, deployments, pipelines, and members
Editor
Can review detections, annotate images, and manage records
Viewer
Read-only access to assigned projects
This structure allows field teams, analysts, reviewers, and stakeholders to collaborate while maintaining clear control over project settings and data management.
Creating a new project
To create a new project, select New Project from the dashboard and choose the workflow type that best matches your survey. Enter the project name, location, and description, then save the project.
Once the project has been created, additional configuration options appear depending on the selected workflow. For example, real-time projects can configure email or FTPS ingestion, while SPARROW device projects can register edge devices and monitoring hardware.
Projects can then be populated with camera deployments, team members, and upload pipelines before data collection begins.
Adding camera deployments
Camera deployments store the metadata associated with each field camera used in a survey. Each deployment includes a unique camera identifier along with optional biodiversity metadata such as deployment dates, habitat information, camera model, orientation, mounting height, water depth, feature type, bait use, and deployment notes.
This metadata becomes part of the long-term biodiversity dataset and is included in standards-compliant exports generated from the platform.
SPARROW supports both terrestrial and aquatic deployments, allowing projects to record either mounting height or water depth depending on the survey type.
Uploading images manually
Batch projects allow researchers to upload images directly from a computer using drag-and-drop uploads or full folder imports. Entire directory trees can be uploaded at once, making it easier to process large historical surveys.
SPARROW automatically detects duplicate images, so re-uploading the same folder is safe and will not create duplicate records within the project.
Large uploads are processed in the background and automatically added to the review workspace once analysis has completed.
Email-connected camera workflows
Real-time email projects are designed for GSM and 4G camera traps that send images by email directly from the field. After configuring the monitored inbox, SPARROW regularly checks for new messages and processes attached images automatically.
Camera names can be extracted from email subjects or sender information, helping images route into the correct deployment automatically. Once processed, detections appear in the workspace within minutes and can immediately trigger notifications or species alerts.
FTPS camera workflows
FTPS projects allow connected field cameras to upload images directly into SPARROW over a secure transfer connection. Project-specific credentials are generated from the dashboard and entered into the camera configuration.
Once configured, uploaded images are processed automatically and appear in the review workspace without requiring manual downloads or SD card collection from the field.
Drone live streaming (RTMPS)
Any project that runs the server-side video pipeline (realtime, realtime_ftp, batch) can also accept live video from a drone over RTMPS. On the project edit page, click Generate RTMPS key to issue a one-shot stream key — the dashboard displays the full URL template the operator enters into the drone controller.
SPARROW currently supports drone streaming through the DJI RC Pro 2 controller.
Each 30-second segment of the live stream is recorded, processed through the existing video pipeline, and surfaced in the workspace as a normal video clip with bounding boxes drawn on every classified frame.
Reviewing detections
The Workspace is the main review area used for validating detections and managing annotations. Each image is displayed alongside its detection boxes and species labels.
Selecting an image opens a larger review view where detections can be confirmed, corrected, deleted, or annotated. Filters help reviewers focus on specific species, cameras, deployments, or time periods, while batch tools speed up repetitive review tasks.
This workflow allows large camera-trap surveys to be reviewed efficiently by multiple team members.
Generating biodiversity reports
Projects can generate biodiversity reports directly from the project page. Reports summarise species detections, independent detection events, per-camera activity, and survey statistics across selected date ranges.
Generated reports are suitable for technical reporting, monitoring summaries, ecological analysis, and biodiversity record keeping.
Notifications and alerts
The notification system highlights important project activity directly within the dashboard. Users can open notifications to jump directly to new detections or reviewed records.
Projects can also configure species-specific email alerts to notify selected team members whenever target species are detected. This supports near real-time monitoring and rapid-response workflows for conservation projects.
Need more help?
For additional support, deployment guidance, or technical documentation, please refer to the project documentation or contact your SPARROW administrator.
