Monitoring glaciers in Peru, Nepal, and India with Raspberry Pi cameras

Can affordable Raspberry Pi cameras do as good a job modelling glaciers as expensive drones?

Last summer, we were tagged in this glorious tweet from Liam Taylor at Leeds School of Geography:

Last year, we set out to ask whether @Raspberry_Pi cameras are as good as UAVs in capturing 3D models of glaciers, but at a fraction of the cost. We think the answer is yes!
Our work is now available for discussion in @EGU_NHESS at https://t.co/itMy1nYnJw. https://t.co/cLdxF9n8Bj
— Liam Taylor (@LiamTaylorIce) August 9, 2022

Fast forward to now, and Liam and his colleagues Duncan Quincey and Mark Smith have published their full findings: Evaluation of low-cost Raspberry Pi sensors for structure-from-motion reconstructions of glacier calving fronts. They’ve also showcased their affordable Raspberry Pi-based setup at an international climate summit in Peru, and encouraged local and national governments to adopt this kind of glacial monitoring to help them adapt to climate change challenges.

Shining, shimmering, splendid – but the ice here is retreating

The research work of Liam’s team is the latest addition to our customer success stories. My primary goal in this post is to sprinkle in as many as possible of the magnificent videos and photos which the team shared with us but which we couldn’t fit in over there. Over here, I am king, so buckle up for a photo-focused ride through the Peruvian glaciers.

Close up of the contents of the clear plastic boxes with Raspberry Pi camera tucked in the top left — Raspberry Pi cameras capture their surroundings, powered by a solar panel seen resting on the plastic enclosure in the left-hand image. This whole setup costs under £100

One of the camera kit boxes wedged between some rocks — Raspberry Pi cameras capture their surroundings, powered by a solar panel seen resting on the plastic enclosure in the left-hand image. This whole setup costs under £100

The aim is to monitor ice recession to see how it is responding to climate change

Lots of the plastic boxes full of Raspberry Pi cameras and computers with their accompanying solar panels resting on the rocks beside a glacial lake — How many camera kits do you need to generate 3D models of glaciers? *This* many

Better view from the office than Pi Towers

Learn more about glacier modelling using Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi cameras inside the plastic containers can act as part of an early warning system before pieces of glacier break off, which can cause flooding and serious long-term problems for the local area. Each box contains a Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera and a Raspberry Pi Zero W. The camera is programmed to take a snapshot at preset intervals over several months. Agisoft Metashape software stitches the overlapping images together to create realistic 3D scenes.

Solar panels replenish the batteries powering the electronics. The weatherproof boxes themselves are the most expensive part of the entire setup.

Green-tinged ice of a jagged glacier calving face and a glacial lake — These images were taken at Fjallsjökull glacier in Iceland. The team tested their Raspberry Pi-based setup here before putting it to work in Peru, India, and Nepal

In the foreground, a glacial lake reflects the sheer face of the glacier behind it. Lake and glacier have a blue-green tinge. Behind the glacier rears a steep, bare-looking rocky hillside, appearing brown through the haze of low cloud. A corner of sky filled with low cloud is visible top left. — These images were taken at Fjallsjökull glacier in Iceland. The team tested their Raspberry Pi-based setup here before putting it to work in Peru, India, and Nepal

Our customer story about this project provides an accessible overview of what the team hoped to achieve, why it’s such important work, and how they went about it. Take a look at the team’s published research if you want lots more detail on this fascinating and important initiative.

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