Troscianko Jolyon
Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
BMC Biol. 2025 Jan 7;23(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s12915-024-02110-w.
The spatial and spectral properties of the light environment underpin many aspects of animal behaviour, ecology and evolution, and quantifying this information is crucial in fields ranging from optical physics, agriculture/plant sciences, human psychophysics, food science, architecture and materials sciences. The escalating threat of artificial light at night (ALAN) presents unique challenges for measuring the visual impact of light pollution, requiring measurement at low light levels across the human-visible and ultraviolet ranges, across all viewing angles, and often with high within-scene contrast.
Here, I present a hyperspectral open-source imager (HOSI), an innovative and low-cost solution for collecting full-field hyperspectral data. The system uses a Hamamatsu C12880MA micro spectrometer to take single-point measurements, together with a motorised gimbal for spatial control. The hardware uses off-the-shelf components and 3D printed parts, costing around £350 in total. The system can run directly from a computer or smartphone with a graphical user interface, making it highly portable and user-friendly. The HOSI system can take panoramic hyperspectral images that meet the difficult requirements of ALAN research, sensitive to low light around 0.001 cd.m, across 320-880 nm range with spectral resolution of ~ 9 nm (FWHM) and spatial resolution of ~ 2 cycles per degree. The independent exposure of each pixel also allows for an extremely wide dynamic range that can encompass typical natural and artificially illuminated scenes, with sample night-time scans achieving full-spectrum peak-to-peak dynamic ranges of > 50,000:1.
This system's adaptability, cost-effectiveness and open-source nature position it as a valuable tool for researchers investigating the complex relationships between light, environment, behaviour, ecology and biodiversity, with further potential uses in many other fields.
光环境的空间和光谱特性支撑着动物行为、生态和进化的许多方面，量化这些信息在光学物理、农业/植物科学、人类心理物理学、食品科学、建筑和材料科学等领域至关重要。夜间人工光（ALAN）威胁的不断升级给测量光污染的视觉影响带来了独特挑战，需要在人类可见光和紫外光范围内、所有视角下以及通常具有高场景内对比度的低光照水平下进行测量。
在此，我展示了一种高光谱开源成像仪（HOSI），这是一种用于收集全场高光谱数据的创新且低成本的解决方案。该系统使用滨松C12880MA微型光谱仪进行单点测量，并配备电动万向节进行空间控制。硬件使用现成的组件和3D打印部件，总成本约为350英镑。该系统可以直接通过带有图形用户界面的计算机或智能手机运行，具有高度的便携性和用户友好性。HOSI系统可以拍摄全景高光谱图像，满足ALAN研究的苛刻要求，对0.001 cd.m左右的低光照敏感，光谱范围为320 - 880 nm，光谱分辨率约为9 nm（半高宽），空间分辨率约为每度2周。每个像素的独立曝光还允许具有极宽的动态范围，可涵盖典型的自然和人工照明场景，夜间样本扫描实现的全光谱峰峰值动态范围>50,000:1。
该系统的适应性、成本效益和开源性质使其成为研究光、环境、行为、生态和生物多样性之间复杂关系的研究人员的宝贵工具，在许多其他领域还有进一步的潜在用途。
