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Cameras (Terrestrial Observation)

Definition

Cameras are manual or automatic optical instruments to capture static photos, omnidirectional (360 degrees) photos, virtual reality (VR) photos, or videos. Cameras can be carried by humans (separately or as part of smartphones) or mounted on static spots (e.g., buildings, mountains), drones or satellites Fact Sheets Drones and Earth Observation via Satellites.

How to Select a Camera ?

Step 1: Are Special Camera Features to be Considered?

Most cameras and smartphones allow for storing and extracting geographical information along with the photos (highly recommended).

Most allow for streaming captured photos/videos automatically to a server in a predefined frequency (useful for documenting progress on project sites with mounted cameras).

Some allow for capturing spherical photos/videos (which can be used for creating a VR site visit). These photos require compatible players or head-mounted displays to be viewed.

Some Mobile Data Collection (MDC) tools work by using the camera of the mobile device to directly link the captured images/videos with other collected information.

Step 2: What Information Do I Need?

Cameras can capture, store, and transmit multiple media types that are collected in the field together with the required corresponding meta-data, such as GPS coordinates of the imaging position, recorded direction of the photo (bearing), and the precise time stamp of the imaging (date, hour, minute), which is necessary for the usage of photos for verification purposes. Cameras can be used for various purposes:

  • Baseline documentation (project start)

  • Documentation of project progress on (construction) sites

  • Endline documentation at final inspection and ex-post evaluation

    • Surveillance of project sites in remote or hard-to-reach locations (e.g., robust solar-powered cameras)

    • Surveillance of project sites during nighttime (e.g., thermal or infrared)

    • "Live on tape" (video) impressions of physical site visits (e.g., livestream of visit with head-mounted camera)

    • VR site visit (indoor/outdoor)

Step 3: What Do I Need to Consider When Acquiring Cameras?

The following criteria should be considered when procuring cameras:

Is professional hardware equipment required or will smartphones, apps, and digital cameras satisfy the needs?

If I need to use highly specialized cameras (e.g., VR), do I need to purchase them, or will they be provided by service agencies capturing photos/videos?

Is special software needed for viewing 360 degrees / VR photos and videos or can they be presented on standardized platforms (e.g., HTML5)?

Is an adequate power supply available to operate the camera for the intended duration? Or are battery-packs /solar-panels required? Who could operate them?

Is a mobile network available to stream photos / videos to a server? Or can the camera be reached to export data from the device?

Interoperability Requirements

Photos should be stored in widely used data formats to allow for easy access and exchange with partners and other systems (e.g., JPEG, PNG)

Meta-data should be stored in Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format)

Prior to capturing 360 degrees/ VR photos and videos, target plat- forms and formats to view the media should be determined If a building information modeling (BIM) or R /MIS software is used, the compatibility of media formats should be considered to allow for imports.

Human rights: In countries with human rights issues or in conflict settings, images/videos could be used against the population or vulnerable parts thereof, such as minorities (RMMV Guidebook Section 2.3.3). Carefully choose the scene of the photo or film so as to avoid depicting individuals. Avoid photographic imaging or filming of individuals, especially if photos/videos are captured automatically in a predefined frequency (RMMV Guidebook Section 2.3.1)

Familiarize yourself with National Laws that can restrict using cameras in certain areas, such as critical infrastructure (e.g., markets in conflict areas, police and military installations, dams, power stations, airports), see (RMMV Guidebook Section 2.3.5).

Data protection & Copyright: cameras have the potential to violate privacy. For example, image and video recordings can contain personal data if individual persons are identifiable in them. Hence, individuals should be depicted rather as "accessories" to a scene---for example, in a landscape photo---and should not be the main focus of the picture. You can find a list of country-specific consent requirements for taking a photograph of identifiable people in the Links to Further Sources. Contextualizing imagery in reference to geographic locations can make an individual in an image distinguishable. Filming or regularly photographing in sequences a person leaving a house and geo-tagging the pictures allows for the identification of a person by location. In those instances, local data protection or copyright law can apply. Avoid the inadvertent collection of personal data (such as pictures of faces). Only personal data strictly relevant should be collected and processed. If data minimization is not possible, data has to be anonymized, for example by blurring or pixilation, see RMMV Guidebook Section 2.3.1.

If cameras allow, even inadvertedly, the (constant) surveillance of employees, legal restrictions on the use of such tools may arise from applicable local laws. This might be the case where a project site is filmed or photographed in frequent sequences.

Some privacy laws will give discretion to employers as to how far they can go with their employee monitoring programs. In other cases, employers will have to inform employees who are being monitored or even require employees to consent.

KfW requires proof of consent for any images or videos of indi- vidual persons to be published related to its projects, as per the regulations of the respective country. In case of copyright ques- tions or issues, see RMMV Guidebook Section 2.3.4 (Rights of Use).

If KfW (or persons acting on behalf of it) are (also) processing personal data, the privacy check inRMMV Guidebook Section 2.3.1) must be followed.

Project Examples /Use Cases

Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

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