_The Infragram Kickstarter video, a great introduction to the project._ ###Introduction Vineyards, large farms, and NASA all use **near-infrared photography** for assessing plant health, usually by mounting expensive sensors on airplanes and satellites. At Public Lab, **we've developed a Do-It-Yourself way to take these kinds of photos**, enabling us to monitor our environment through quantifiable data. Our technique uses a modified digital camera to capture near-infrared and blue light in the same image, but in different color channels. We then [post-process the image](#How+to+process+your+images:) (using [Infragram.org](http://infragram.org)) to attempt to infer how much it is photosynthesizing. This allows us to better understand and quantify how much of the available light plants are metabolizing into sugar via photosynthesis. > You can do this yourself (as with all Public Lab tools) but there is also an [Infragram DIY Filter Pack](http://store.publiclab.org/products/infragram-diy-filter-pack) available in the Public Lab Store. We [ran a Kickstarter](http://kickstarter.com/projects/publiclab/infragram-the-infrared-photography-project/) for a version of this camera we call the **Infragram**. [Read more about it here »](/wiki/infragram) Here's the video from the Kickstarter, which offers a nice visual explanation of the technique: ###What is it good for? Multispectral or infrared/visible photography has seen a variety of applications in the decades [since it was developed](#Background:+satellite+infrared+imaging). We have focused on the following uses: - Take pictures to examine plant health in backyard gardens, farms, parks, and nearby wetlands - Monitor your household plants - Teach students about plant growth and photosynthesis - Create exciting science fair projects - Generate verifiable, open environmental data - Check progress of environmental restoration projects - Document unhealthy areas of your local ecology (for instance, algal blooms) Notable uses include [this photograph of an unidentified plume of material in the Gowanus Canal](/notes/liz/8-3-2011/infrared-balloon-image-reveals-gowanus-plume) (and [writeup by TechPresident](http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/how-diy-science-solving-ecological-mysteries-new-york-city)) and a variety of projects at a small farm in New Hampshire [at the annual iFarm event](/tag/ifarm). The [Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium](http://lumcon.edu) has also [collaborated with Public Lab contributors to measure wetlands loss](/notes/shannon/5-29-2011/plots-and-lumcon-collaboration) following the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. **Here's an example** of what one of our "Infragram" cameras sees (left) and the post-processing analysis which shows photosynthetic activity, or plant health (right). This picture was taken from a commercial airplane flight: [![infragram](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/000/424/medium/aerial-split.jpg)](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/000/424/original/aerial-split.jpg) ###How does it work? **Camera modification:** We've worked on several different techniques, from [dual camera systems](/wiki/dual-camera-kit-guide) to the current, single-camera technique. This involves removing the infrared-blocking filter from [almost any digital camera](/tag/infragram-conversion), and adding a [specific blue filter](/wiki/infragram#Filters). ![swap.png](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/000/376/medium/swap.png) This filters out the red light, and **measures infrared light in its place** using a piece of carefully chosen "NGB" or "infrablue" filter. Read more about [the development of this technique here](http://publiclab.org/notes/cfastie/04-20-2013/superblue). You can also learn more about how digital camera image sensors detect colors [at this great tutorial by Bigshot](http://www.bigshotcamera.com/learn/image-sensor/index). **Post-processing:** Once you take a multispectral photograph with a modified camera, you must [post-process it](#How+to+process+your+images:), compositing the infrared and visible data to generate a new image which (if it works) displays healthy, photosynthetically active areas as bright regions. An in-depth article on the technique by Chris Fastie (albeit using red instead of blue for visible light) [can be found here](/wiki/ndvi-plots-ir-camera-kit). **History of the project:** While we used to use a two-camera system, [research by Chris Fastie](/notes/cfastie/04-20-2013/superblue) and [other Public Lab contributors](/tag/near-infrared-camera) have led to the use of a **single camera which can image in both infrared and visible light simultaneously**. The Infrablue filter is just a piece of carefully chosen theater gel which was examined using [a DIY spectrometer](/wiki/spectrometer). You can use this filter to turn most webcams or cheap point-and-shoots into an infrared/visible camera. ###Background: satellite infrared imaging The study of Earth's environment from space got its start in 1972 when the first Landsat satellite was launched. The multispectral scanner it carried, like the scanners on all subsequent Landsat satellites, recorded images with both visible and near infrared light. Remote sensing "scientists" quickly learned that by combining visible and infrared data, they could reveal critical information about the health of vegetation. For example, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) highlights the difference between the red and infrared wavelengths that are reflected from vegetation. Because red light is used by plants for photosynthesis but infrared light is not, NDVI allows "scientists" to estimate the amount of healthy foliage in every satellite image. Thousands of "scientists", including landscape ecologists, global change biologists, and habitat specialists have relied on these valuable satellite-based NDVI images for decades. There are public sources of infrared photography for the US available through the Department of Agriculture -- [NAIP](http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/) and [Vegscape](http://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/VegScape/) -- but this imagery is not collected when, as often, or at useable scale for individuals who are managing small plots. ![ndvi-vis-comparison.jpg](/system/images/photos/000/001/289/medium/ndvi-vis-comparison.jpg) Caption: Normal color photo (top) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) image. NDVI image was derived from two color channels in a single photo taken with a camera modified with a special infrared filter. Note that tree trunks, brown grass, and rocks have very low NDVI values because they are not photosynthetic. Healthy plants typically have NDVI values between 0.1 and 0.9. Images by Chris Fastie. Visit the [gallery of high-res images by Chris Fastie](https://plus.google.com/photos/116103622078305917397/albums/5878196749239180465/5878198341400814034) **** ## Frequently Asked Questions Ask a question about infrared imaging [notes:question:infragram] **** ## How to process your images (this section is moved to and updated at http://publiclab.org/wiki/near-infrared-imaging) We're working on an easy process to generate composite, infrared + visible images that will reveal new details of plant health and photosynthesis. There are several approaches: * The **easiest way** is to process your images online at the free, open source [Infragram.org](http://infragram.org) * [Ned Horning's](/profile/nedhorning) [PhotoMonitoring plugin](/wiki/photo-monitoring-plugin) * Manual processing * [in Photoshop](/notes/warren/10-25-2011/video-tutorial-creating-infrared-composites-aerial-wetlands-imagery) * [or GIMP](/notes/warren/10-27-2011/video-tutorial-creating-false-color-ndvi-aerial-wetlands-imagery) * Using MapKnitter.org (deprecated) * Command-line processing of single images and rendering of movies using a Python script. Source code is [here](https://github.com/Pioneer-Valley-Open-Science/infrapix) **Note:** Older versions of this page have been kept at the following wiki page: http://publiclab.org/wiki/near-infrared-camera-history...
Author | Comment | Last activity | Moderation | ||
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cfastie | "Dongjie, are you referring to the gigapans? They are gigapans embedded here from gigapan.com. " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
Dongjie | "cool, how do you make the figure like Google streetmap? " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
nathanathan | "I've started experimenting with phosphorescent paint. Here's a link to a note on what I've done so far. " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
bc512 | "happy to get in contact guys shoot me an email; brad@djsgrowers.com.au " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
STAndrews00 | "No, the application in general. GPS overlay web-app, with adjustable positioning. There is more too. Sorry to cause confusion. " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
warren | "wait, sean -- the T-bracket? " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
STAndrews00 | "And bc512, would love to get in touch! " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
STAndrews00 | "Warren, Sean here, this is EXACTLY what I invisioned 6 months ago when I thought of this. We need to get in touch asap! " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
warren | "I'm not sure what the best way is, but you can def. do it with the mac Disk Utility and make an ISO or even a DMG would be useful. Apparently on a ..." | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
mathew | "Sorry, its been on my todo for a while. I don't really know how to copy the image properly. " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
warren | "Hi Mat - any chance we could get an SD card image? " | Read more » | almost 11 years ago | |||
funkycbj | "Light is transmitted but it is diffusely scattered past a certain depth, which seems to be ~7mm. The minimum thickness increases with the size of ..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
nedhorning | "Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe a teflon sheet is the way to go although I don't have any experience with these. Some of the thin sheets seem tran..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
funkycbj | "Krylon extra flat black spray paint is diffuse and spectrally flat across the vis-nir. A small sheet of teflon isn't too expensive and works great ..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
nedhorning | "I have been making some progress toward standardized calibration targets. Does anyone viewing this know of a source for inexpensive paints/coatings..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
nathanathan | "I recently ordered a smartphone spectrometer, measuring glow in the dark pigment spectra seems like a fun project to try it out on. I'll give it ..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
cfastie | "For some reason it's hard to find spectra of glow-in-the-dark pigments. Really, a thousand Public Lab spectrometers out there and no one has done t..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
nathanathan | "I would like to know how glow in the dark paint compares to LEDs. Postcards with glow in the dark rainbows painted on them could be packaged with s..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
cfastie | "Would the LED have to be placed outside the entrance slit? Otherwise the grating would form an image of the entire bulb. Standard single color LED..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
warren | "I'm interested in something similar for spectrometer exposure calibration -- putting an LED and battery inside each spectrometer, on one side, so y..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
cfastie | "The Canon A2200 (refurbished) is on sale today (November 21) for $48.99 (free shipping) with a one year warranty: http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/e..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
nedhorning | "Hi Thorsten, Glad to hear you're making progress. When you run the plugin are you specifying that the channel from the visible image to use for th..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
Thorsten | "Ned, I followed your advice and now have processed my first dual camera images (RGB and 850nm IR) using your PhotoMonitoring plugin, which works li..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago | |||
nicholas | "Great research note! I heard about this event and have no doubt Will took on thigh high mud with ease! With the day two imagery, what's with the ..." | Read more » | about 11 years ago |