Web Development Has Begun

I started development today on the custom web application that will become the data hub for the Surface Sand Boa Project. The system is being designed to bring together live camera feeds, automated video observations, written husbandry records, weights, feeding data, environmental measurements, and voice-entered field notes in one place. During weekly checks, for example, I should eventually be able to scan an animal’s ID and simply say, “F0-01, 15 grams, ate one pinkie successfully,” review what the system understood, and add it directly to that animal’s research record.

Development will happen in stages. First comes the research database, animal profiles, rack positions, and basic dashboard. When our test camera arrives, we’ll integrate its live video feed and determine the final camera layout for the observation rack. From there we’ll begin collecting real footage to train and validate the computer-vision system, eventually allowing the software to recognize when each snake is visible, record surface activity, identify emergence and reburial events, and calculate behavioral measurements automatically. AI observations will always remain reviewable, and missing or unusable camera footage will never be treated as evidence that a snake was underground.

The system is being designed as open-source software using a combination of a local computer and our cloud server. Video processing and data collection will continue locally even if the internet goes down, while selected research data can be synchronized with SurfaceSandBoaProject.org for public profiles, graphs, project updates, and eventually live viewing.

There is a lot to build, but today the software side of the experiment officially moved from planning to development.