Using dash cams for recording plants on road verges
Using dash cams for recording plants on road verges ALLA MASHANOVA
I
f you are like me, then you can recall many occasions when you thought ‘I wish I could record the location of this plant on the road verge’. After unsuccessful struggles to retrieve those locations, I explored the option of getting a dash cam at the beginning of 2018. There is a big choice of dash cams on the market. First, I tried a cheap one which just recorded the video. Very quickly I realised that it required too much time to fit the recorded images to road maps and turned my attention to the cameras with embedded GPS. I chose the NextBase 412GW. It records the video and imprints date, time, speed and location on the images (Plate 1). I am very happy with this model. The holder needed a replacement a few months ago, but this is a minor fault compared to the benefits. Not very conveniently, the only available location format is in degrees and decimal minutes. After trying a few online converters, I prefer the Ordnance Survey (www.ordnancesurvey. co.uk/gps/transformation) which provides options for transforming single and batch data. To give an example, I used my camera to record Cochlearia danica (Danish Scurvygrass) (Plate 1, Figure 1a) on my routine road trips. I recorded Brassica napus (Oil-seed rape) during the same period as a control. The map (Figure 1b) shows clear differences in distribution. C. danica only follows large roads (A414) which are regularly salted, while B. napus occurred pretty much everywhere I went. I also find that the dash cam is helpful to record Viscum album (Mistletoe) (Plate 2) and occasional odd things in the middle of a dual carriageway. Images are not always clear enough to identify plants, but it is a great help in retrieving the location after noticing the species on the spot or being alerted by a fellow botanist. As a secondary use – dash cams are advertised as useful gadgets safeguarding one in case of a
32
BSBI NEWS 146 | January 2021
motoring accident. Indeed, my insurance company was very happy to learn that I had a video record of what happened when my car was hit from behind.
Dr Alla Mashanova
Human and Environmental Studies, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire Alla Mashanova a.mashanova@herts.ac.uk
Figure 1. Maps produced using records from NextBase 412GW on my routine trips during 2018–2019. (a) (top): Cochlearia danica (Danish scurvygrass); (b) (bottom): Brassica napus (Oil-seed Rape).
