01
Build
We design low-cost, field-deployable research tools — 360° camera + audio monitoring nodes built for the rainforest.
Build · Open Canopy
Open-source research hardware
We build low-cost, field-deployable research tools — and open the network.
Low-cost 360° camera and audio nodes, deployed in the Peruvian Amazon — and an open network anyone can join, build for, and run their own nodes inside.
02
Deploy
We install them in remote field sites — starting with the Peruvian Amazon.
Deploy · Open Canopy
03
Open it up
Anyone can join the network and run their own nodes using our open guides.
Open it up · Open Canopy
Prototype · 360° camera
Built to be rebuilt — anywhere.
Make conservation monitoring accessible, not expensive.
Open Canopy designs, builds, and deploys low-cost, field-deployable research tools ourselves — starting with the Peruvian Amazon — so conservation teams get real, field-ready data without waiting on expensive proprietary kits.
Every hardware design, training guide, and labeling workflow is open-source. Anyone can join the network and build, deploy, and run their own nodes alongside ours.
From the workbench
Early prototypes, built in the open.
These are working prototypes — 3D-printed housings, off-the-shelf boards, a lot of jumper wire. The finished field units and photos from Peru are coming soon.
Motion sensing
Six-sided motion-trigger head
Compact build
The smaller sensor head up close
Bench testing
Wired up on the breadboard
Ask about the prototypes
Curious what you're looking at?
Answers are AI-generated from our build notes and may not be perfect.
One initiative, four practical outputs.
Every part of Open Canopy is built to be assembled in the field, documented in the open, and improved by the people using it.
Low-cost · Field-deployable
Research tools anyone can build, fix, and run.
01
Pillar
Hardware
Low-cost 360° camera + audio nodes built for the rainforest.
02
Pillar
Software
AI classifiers for wildlife, sound, and habitat change.
03
Pillar
Training
Guides, videos, and checklists for non-specialist field teams.
04
Pillar
Open Data
Labeling workflows and datasets that anyone can build on.
What conservation teams can actually use.
Four open guides — each one a self-contained kit a small field team can pick up, build from, and adapt.
- Parts list for 360° camera and audio monitoring
- Waterproof case and mounting recommendations
- Battery, solar, and storage options
- Deployment spacing and placement checklist
- Pre-deployment checklist
- How to avoid false triggers and poor camera placement
- How to collect useful metadata
- Maintenance and recovery procedure
- Species and movement labels
- Sound labels: rain, insects, animals, human activity, engines, boats, tools
- Quality control checklist
- CSV / JSON dataset format
- Simple dashboard layout
- Map of monitoring nodes
- Daily detection summaries
- Before-and-after habitat comparisons
First Pilot · Peruvian Amazon
Built for the field conditions of Peru.
The first pilot is designed around remote rainforest environments where monitoring tools need to be durable, low-cost, easy to repair, and useful to real conservation researchers.
01
?
Challenge
Limited visibility in dense rainforest
Response
360° camera coverage for wider environmental context
Panoramic habitat records & movement documentation
02
?
Challenge
Activity that cannot be seen directly
Response
Audio monitoring for wildlife and disturbance signals
Acoustic event logs & biodiversity signals
03
?
Challenge
Expensive or proprietary equipment
Response
Low-cost open-source parts list and build guide
Replicable monitoring node design
04
?
Challenge
Hard-to-analyze raw data
Response
Standard labeling workflow for image and sound data
Cleaner datasets for AI model testing
05
?
Challenge
Remote teams need training
Response
Deployment manuals, videos, and checklists
Field-ready training materials
Help build open conservation technology.
Open Canopy is looking for conservation researchers, field teams, students, engineers, and educators interested in low-cost rainforest monitoring, acoustic sensing, camera traps, AI labeling, and open-source field guides.