Case Study: National Science Foundation advances Antarctic ice shelf research with CamDo Solutions time-lapse monitoring

National Science Foundation studies Antarctic ice shelf stability with CamDo Solutions for 4-day time lapses

CamDo Solutions provided its Blink time-lapse controller to the National Science Foundation, which faced the challenge of reliably capturing long-term time-lapse imagery in the extreme cold of Antarctica to study ice shelf stability. The NSF team's previous attempts using standard lithium-ion batteries and other camera systems had failed spectacularly as the batteries would not charge in sub-freezing temperatures, wasting energy and preventing data collection.

The solution was a system combining CamDo's Blink controller with a GoPro camera powered by a robust 12-volt absorbed glass mat battery. This setup allowed the camera to run continuously for multiple days in the harsh conditions by eliminating wasted energy. The NSF deemed the CamDo solution a "huge success," finding it more reliable and significantly cheaper than a competing $5000 system, and plans to deploy several more Blink units for future research and public outreach.

National Science Foundation