![ae1b83ecbee137927d2079336d5dbde9_large.png](/system/images/photos/000/001/163/medium/ae1b83ecbee137927d2079336d5dbde9_large.png) _The Infra-whatnow?_ The **Infragram** is a simple, affordable infrared camera platform -- developed collaboratively, by the Public Lab community -- for measuring plant health and geeking out on gardening. It's for home gardeners, hikers, makers, farmers, amateur scientists, teachers, artists, and anyone curious about the secret lives of plants! **Quick links** * [Kickstarter page](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/publiclab/infragram-the-infrared-photography-project/) (also the short link: http://kck.st/11XOglZ) * [Infragram media page (images)](/wiki/infragram-media) * Main [near infrared camera research page](/wiki/near-infrared-camera) * [Recent Infragram updates and research](/tag/infragram) ##Getting started So you have an Infragram camera, or a filter kit, and you want to start analyzing plant health? After this page first place to look for answers is Public Lab's [infrared photography discussion list](/wiki/mailing-lists), which you can sign up for in the left-hand column. There are plenty of other DIY infrared photographers, from novices to experts, willing to offer advice and help troubleshoot. ###Converting cameras We'll soon be posting more information, but for now check out [this list of cameras](/wiki/infragram-convertible-cameras), detailing how to convert some and collecting information on which cameras work and which don't. ###White balancing We've learned that careful white balancing of your converted Infragram camera can result in much better images. Learn how [in this short video](/notes/warren/08-15-2013/white-balancing-a-canon-camera-for-infragram-photography) and [read in depth on the topic in research by Chris Fastie](/notes/cfastie/06-17-2013/white-balance). There is also a wiki page on the subject at http://publiclab.org/wiki/infrablue-white-balance If you have a Public Lab Infragram DIY Filter Kit, you'll also have [a QR code which we've printed](/system/images/photos/000/001/169/medium/1307649934001_l.jpg) which leads to "infragram.org". The idea, which has not yet been attempted, is to use the QR code both as a black/white contrast reference, and as a means to automatically white balance images which include the QR code, upon image uploading at Infragram.org. Please stay tuned, and chip in if you have ideas about this. ###Choosing a filter The Infragram DIY Filter Kit ships with two different filters. This is because our research on which filter works best has evolved over time, but currently we believe the **Rosco #2007** works best with CCD cameras, and the **Rosco #74** works best with CMOS cameras. (this is being debated; please see [ ##Background The Infragram camera was originally developed by Public Lab contributors to assess damage to wetlands [in the wake of the BP oil spill](/wiki/gulf-coast); but it's also a simple, easy-to-modify, open-source hardware and software tool that anyone who's curious about plant physiology and health can use. You can go back and read through much of this work by [reading research notes tagged with 'near-infrared-camera'](/tag/near-infrared-camera) and the most recent work on the Infragram technique by looking for [the tag 'infragram'](/tag/infragram). ![dorn](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/000/342/medium/dorn) Vineyards, large farms, and NASA all use near-infrared photography for assessment, usually by mounting expensive sensors on airplanes and satellites. **Infragram** brings this technology to average citizens, enabling them to monitor their environment through quantifiable, citizen-generated data. ![kites](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/000/343/medium/kites) Just as photography was instrumental to the rise of credible print journalism, DIY data collection technologies like **Infragram** set out to democratize and improve reporting about environmental impacts. By creating a low-cost camera and working with farmers and environmental activists, we hope to explore grassroots uses for this kind of technology. ###What exactly is an Infragram camera? The [Kickstarter project](http://kickstarter.com/projects/publiclab/infragram-the-infrared-photography-project) offered a few different versions:
DIY Filter Pack: This is just a piece of "superblue" filter which you can use to turn your webcam or cheap point-and-shoot into an infrared camera. The filter allows you to take an infrared photo in the "red" channel of your camera, and a visible image in the "blue" channel. The Public Lab kit comes with a white balance card and instructions on how install your filter -- it's pretty easy!
Infragram Webcam At one-twentieth the cost of normally priced consumer infrared cameras, this cheap but flexible device is designed for plugging directly into your laptop or integrating into other projects. It's also ideal for a Raspberry Pi, if you want to take it outdoors, do timelapse photography, or write scripts to control your camera. We're getting a company to fit 1000 standard webcams with infrablue filters, and shipping them as a bare circuit board with a USB cable - like an Arduino. You can make one of these yourself, although it seems that not all webcams work, so be aware!
Infragram Point & Shoot: This is a straightforward, if basic, point-and-shoot camera which we're getting a factory to pre-convert with infrablue filters: you can simply take photos as you normally would, then upload them to our free and open-source web app to quickly and easily get a variety of composite images and analyses (the site is currently in beta with minimal initial features). This isn't an SLR or even a particularly fully featured camera -- it likely won't have an LCD screen and may be "rebranded" with a Public Lab sticker -- but it's the new filter we've put inside which counts.
**** _**"The name "Infragram" comes from Infrared Photogrammetry, the use of photography to create spacialized and quantified data.** When NASA started using this technique on the Landsat satellites in the 1970's and 80's, each camera was custom-built for the purpose. Now, consumer cameras are so advanced that even a five year old point and shoot can generate excellent data with nothing more than a change of the filters and calibration through the Infragram site."_-- [Mathew Lippincott](http://publiclab.org/profile/mathew), Public Lab _"We're excited that Public Laboratory is developing a low-cost infrared camera which will help us **track the success of wetland restoration projects in the Gulf Region--as well as help us track pollution.** The Gulf Restoration Network has been using the aerial monitoring techniques that Public Lab developed, so having the infrared camera available to put on the balloon and kite rig will only expand the applications of that technology as well as add value to airplane monitoring flights that help us watchdog the oil industry in the Gulf."_ -- [Scott Eustis](http://publiclab.org/profile/eustatic), M.S., Gulf Restoration Network ###More information The Public Lab community has been building up a knowledge base in DIY infrared imaging for years. To join in, check out these pages: * **Infrared image processing,** specifically how to represent information that we can't see as images that we can see: http://publiclab.org/wiki/ndvi * **The history of the project** -- the images below depict other prototypes that were created by our community over the years. If you are interested in the story of how this project got started, check out more early prototypes and experiments on this page: http://publiclab.org/wiki/near-infrared-camera-history. ![dual](https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/581/547/defb8db0662fd4b54a515b7457a89976_large.png?1368219190) ![melange](https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/581/552/6aa9b7a67ec720c4b8b3388b5582891e_large.png?1368219243)