Automated insect counting

Automated insect counting removes the biggest bottleneck in insect monitoring: trapping, preparing and identifying insects by hand. The DIOPSIS insect camera photographs insects in the field and leaves the counting and identification to AI image recognition.

Why count automatically

Better methods for counting insects are urgently needed. Insect populations have declined sharply over the past few decades, with consequences for entire ecosystems. Traditional monitoring — with traps, nets and manual identification — is labor-intensive, slow and hard to sustain on a large scale. Automated counting makes systematic, large-scale monitoring feasible.

How the DIOPSIS insect camera works

Using an 8 MP sensor, the camera takes sharp photos of insects that land on an illuminated screen. A 4G modem sends the images to a central server; manual upload is also possible. There, an insect image recognition model — in the Netherlands managed by Naturalis — processes the photos into identified species or species groups, with counts.

The system works day and night. The LED screen lighting is adjustable, so you can attract and photograph nocturnal insects in a targeted way. You control the photo frequency and lighting times remotely through the web portal.

Reliable, repeatable data

Because every measurement is produced in the same automated way, the results are objective and repeatable. Sites and years can be compared fairly, and human variation in trapping and identification is eliminated. That makes the data suitable for scientific research, evidence-based policy and long-term trend analysis.

Who it is for

Automated insect counting is valuable for water authorities, provinces and municipalities, research institutes and universities and agricultural applications. The camera is available to buy or lease.