# An Autonomous Thermal Camera System for Monitoring Fumarole Activity
## 5 Conclusions  
This article introduced the design of two timelapse camera systems equipped with a FLIR A655 SC thermal bolometer camera and controlled by a Raspberry Pi single-board computer and an Arduino microcontroller. The design resembles an existing design made for continuous monitoring [10] but was adapted to be able to enter deep sleep in between hourly recordings.  
The daily temperature cycles recorded by the cameras showed a positive correlation with top-soil temperature data obtained from the ERA5-Land re-analysis model and air temperature of a meteostation mounted close to the camera. Furthermore, the camera data correlated with temperature data read from the control computer, being more accurate than precise.  
The purpose of the two deployed cameras was to monitor fumarole activity in an actively utilized geothermal system to aid in monitoring the geothermal reservoir's response to fluid extraction and re-injection cycles, and while the suitability of these data for that specific purpose is yet to be tested, the design of the camera units was found to meet our demands.  
Conceptualization, C.H. and H.v.d.W.; methodology, H.v.d.W. and C.H.; software, H.v.d.W.; data curation, E.B., H.v.d.W. and C.H.; writing--original draft preparation, H.v.d.W.; writing--review and editing, C.H. and E.B.; visualization, H.v.d.W.; project administration, C.H. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was made possible through internal research funding by KenGen and the University of Twente as part of a joint research agreement.  
Not applicable.  
The camera data acquired in this work is under embargo but will be published at a later stage. The code developed for this work is published on [[https://github.com/haraldvanderwerff/flir-timelapse-controller](https://github.com/haraldvanderwerff/flir-timelapse-controller)]([https://github.com/haraldvanderwerff/flir-timelapse-controller](https://github.com/haraldvanderwerff/flir-timelapse-controller)), (accessed on 15 March 2024).  
The authors thank [PERSON], [PERSON], and [PERSON] for their help with field data acquisition and maintenance of the equipment. [PERSON], [PERSON], and KenGen PLC are acknowledged for their continuous support of the collaboration and assistance at the fieldlab location.  
Author [PERSON] was employed by the company Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen). The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.  
The following abbreviations are used in this manuscript:  
\begin{tabular}{l l} ARM & Advanced RISC Machines \\ CPU & Central Processing Unit \\ DC & Direct Current \\ ECMWF & European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts \\ ERA5 & ECMWF ReAnalysis v5 \\ FLIR & Forward-looking infrared \\ GNU & GNU's Not Unix! \\ GPS & Global Positioning System \\ LWIR & Long-wave InfraRed \\ PLC & Public Limited Company \\ RAM & Random Access Memory \\ RISC & Reduced Instruction Set Computer \\ SD & Secure Digital \\ USB & Universal Serial Bus \\ \end{tabular}