Import

There are two ways to upload camera trap images into Agouti: manually by selecting files from your computer, or via NextCloud for faster uploads over slow or unstable connections.

If you are using video files instead of images, there is one additional step that needs to be taken: entering timestamps. Unlike EXIF metadata for images, there is no standardized format that logs the moment of recording for videos, so timestamps must be entered by hand on a separate page. We recommend using images whenever possible. Automatic timestamp extraction for video files is currently in development; once available, Agouti will be able to extract timestamps from the video overlay using OCR (optical character recognition).

Manual import

To upload a new deployment, go to the Deployment menu and click Add deployment.

Fill in the deployment information. This is a crucial step to ensure it’s clear where the files came from.

Start by selecting a sampling point. Create a new one if needed.
If a default UTC offset is defined in the project settings, this is filled in by default. Adjust it if necessary, or fill it in when a default was not set.
The start and end timestamps of the deployment will be filled in automatically by the system, after you complete the form. They are taken from the first and last files of the deployment.
Optionally, fill in the remaining fields.

You can upload files in two different ways:

Use the select files button to open a traditional file select dialogue and select all files to upload.
Use the drag & drop option to drop the files from your local folder onto the upload area.

After all the files have finished uploading, a button now appears at the bottom of the page to save the deployment.

The system will now create sequences in the background, which may take a few minutes. You can continue working in the meantime, including uploading or annotating other deployments.

Recommendations:

Always upload files from a single camera deployment together, from the first to the last file recorded. Do not mix files from different deployments.
Duplicate files are skipped automatically. Agouti considers files with the same name to be duplicates.
If the camera made several subfolders of images or restarted counting at some point, we recommend renaming the files using a tool or script to ensure all filenames are unique. This allows files from different subfolders to be uploaded to Agouti as a single deployment. Renaming is recommended because some analyses, such as density estimation, require all images from a deployment to be kept together. This also helps keep deployments organised.
There is no limit to the number of files that can be uploaded per deployment. However, for very large deployments (e.g. more than 10,000 files), you may wish to split them into smaller parts to improve manageability. Because these parts will be adjacent in time, they can easily be merged during analysis. Only do this when the intended analyses do not require all images to remain grouped within a single deployment.

NextCloud

NextCloud is an online cloud storage service that can help you upload files to Agouti when your internet connection is slow or unstable.

Using NextCloud, you can upload all deployment folders to NextCloud when you have access to a fast and reliable internet connection. Later, when uploading to Agouti, your computer only needs to send instructions to the NextCloud server rather than uploading the files directly from your computer. This can significantly improve upload performance on slow or unstable networks.

Important note: NextCloud is meant as a temporary upload solution. It is not intended as long-term storage.

How to use NextCloud

2. Install NextCloud

Download and install the NextCloud application: NextCloud

3. Connect to Agouti’s NextCloud server

After installation:

Launch the NextCloud application.
Select Log in.
Enter the Agouti server address: https://uploads.agouti.eu.
Log in using the username and password provided in your Agouti account settings.
Configure the synchronisation settings according to your preference.

4. Prepare your deployments

Once the setup is complete, a NextCloud folder will be available on your computer and should appear in your file explorer. Move all deployment folders that you want to upload to Agouti into this folder.

5. Uploading to Agouti

Before uploading to Agouti, enable Nextcloud uploads enabled in your project settings.

Create a new deployment in Agouti.
Change the upload method from Upload files to Upload directory.
Click Select Owncloud folder.
A dropdown menu will appear containing all folders that have been uploaded to NextCloud.
Select the folder you want to upload.
Fill in other deployment information as usual.

After a deployment has been uploaded into Agouti, the corresponding folder is automatically removed from NextCloud.