Thermal imaging as a remote sensing tool isn’t new when it comes to the fields of ecology and conservation. The initial application of this technology was for the military, but its use has expanded to a wide range of professional markets, from building inspections, condition fault finding, search and rescue, food industry, ecology & conservation and human and veterinary medicine. This demand has driven the cost of units down for the consumer, from the once eye watering costs to more affordable options, allowing increased access to the technology. For the professional ecology sector, it is already revolutionising the way in which we can monitor and survey wildlife.

So YAY! We can finally see in the dark and try to find those cryptic elusive species that we know are there from acoustic information and other clues but can’t quite see. Now what to buy?

How To Find The Right Thermal Imaging Equipment For Your Project

Choosing the right kit for the job/ project or application is minefield, with a variety of devices on the market ranging from smart phone plug-ins costing around £300 to high-definition cameras costing more than a deposit for a house. They all have their little quirks and pros and cons as with anything, but importantly there is no device that is specifically designed for our needs as ecologists, and with that said, it is important to understand the differences between them before throwing away your hard-earned cash.

The reviews that will follow on this blog pits a few popular models out there against each other, but this should not be seen as a direct comparison – that would be unfair. FLIR devices used are in a league of their own for lots of reasons, but I thought it important to show you those differences. This blogs aims to educate the reader on what they need to know and consider before selecting whether to buy a model or hire a model to successfully apply it in a project.  Please note all opinions in this post are mine.

The market for IR technology is changing fast with new models coming out all the time and multiple brands competing with each other, with increasingly better/ different specifications. I will be updating this blog with more reviews as and when I can get my hands on the technology so do stay tuned for future posts.