TAIGA - Tactical Animal Intelligence & Geographic Analysis

Off-Grid Trail Camera System for North Alberta Wildlife Monitoring

Overview

TAIGA is a comprehensive wildlife monitoring and security system designed for harsh North Alberta conditions (-40°C to +30°C). The system combines AI-powered wildlife identification, distributed mesh storage, and hyperlocal weather monitoring to provide unparalleled hunting intelligence and property security.

System Components

• TAIGA-CAM: 8x intelligent camera nodes with local wind sensing
• TAIGA-BASE: 2x base stations with OpenWind weather arrays
• TAIGA-MESH: 900MHz image distribution network
• TAIGA-AI: On-device wildlife classification (whitetail buck/doe, moose, bear, wolf)

Key Features

• Security monitoring for cabin protection
• Wildlife tracking with species/gender identification
• Hyperlocal wind measurement at every camera
• Distributed image storage with theft resilience
• Meshtastic network node support
• Remote configuration and monitoring

Repository Structure

TAIGA/
├── firmware/         # Embedded firmware workspace (Rust)
│   ├── taiga-cam/         # ESP32-S3 camera firmware
│   └── taiga-rp2040/      # RP2040 unified firmware (camera + base variants)
├── software/         # Host software workspace (Rust)
│   ├── base-station/      # Pi Zero web interface & API
│   ├── ai-ml/             # TinyYOLO training & inference  
│   └── tools/             # Configuration & calibration tools
├── hardware/         # PCB design & mechanical
│   ├── pcb/          # KiCad schematics & layouts
│   ├── mechanical/   # CAD models & drawings
│   └── bom/          # Bills of materials
├── docs/             # Documentation
├── testing/          # Test plans & validation
├── scripts/          # Build & deployment automation
├── assets/           # 3D models, datasheets, images
├── build.sh          # Unified build script for all targets
└── Cargo.toml        # Workspace root configuration

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Rust toolchain with embedded targets:

  # Install Rust
  curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
  
  # Add embedded targets
  rustup target add thumbv6m-none-eabi  # For RP2040
  rustup target add xtensa-esp32s3-none-elf  # For ESP32-S3 (see ESP32 notes below)

• ESP32 Toolchain (for ESP32-S3 camera firmware):

  # Install espup
  cargo install espup
  espup install

• Additional tools:

  • Git for version control
  • KiCad for hardware design (optional)

Build System

TAIGA uses a unified build script to handle the complex multi-target architecture:

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/vblimits/TAIGA.git
cd TAIGA

# Build all working components (host software + RP2040 firmware)
./build.sh all

# Build specific components
./build.sh host        # Host software only (base-station, ai-ml, tools)
./build.sh firmware    # RP2040 firmware (both camera and base-station variants)
./build.sh esp32       # ESP32-S3 firmware (see status notes below)

# Clean all build artifacts
./build.sh clean

Component Status

Component	Status	Notes
Host Software	✅ Working	Base station, AI/ML, tools all build successfully
RP2040 Firmware	✅ Working	Both camera and base-station variants
ESP32-S3 Firmware	⚠️ Blocked	See ESP32 compatibility notes below

ESP32-S3 Build Issues

The ESP32-S3 camera firmware is currently blocked due to ecosystem compatibility issues:

• Issue: The xtensa-lx-rt crate hasn't been updated for newer Rust versions
• Root cause: Naked functions now require #[unsafe(naked)] and naked_asm! macros
• Status: The newer xtensa-lx crate exists but esp-hal ecosystem is still transitioning
• Timeline: Waiting for upstream esp-rs repository updates

Workaround: TAIGA camera nodes can use RP2040-only configurations until ESP32 support is restored.

Lightning Detection Integration

The base station includes DFRobot lightning detection with the AS3935 chipset:

• Real-time storm tracking and distance measurement
• SQLite database storage for historical lightning events
• REST API endpoints for lightning data retrieval
• Integration with weather monitoring system

Workspace Architecture

TAIGA uses separate Cargo workspaces to avoid target conflicts:

• Root workspace: Coordinates builds across firmware and software
• Firmware workspace: Embedded targets (RP2040, ESP32-S3)
• Software workspace: Host targets (x86_64, ARM64)

This architecture prevents critical-section conflicts between embedded and host dependencies.

Development Workflow

# Start development
./build.sh all                    # Verify everything builds

# Make changes to firmware
cd firmware/taiga-rp2040
cargo build --features camera-node    # Test camera variant
cargo build --features base-station   # Test base station variant

# Make changes to host software  
cd software/base-station
cargo run                        # Run base station locally
cargo test                       # Run tests

# Clean builds when switching between targets
cargo clean                      # Clean current workspace
./build.sh clean                 # Clean everything

Documentation

• Design Document - Complete system specification
• Architecture Overview - System architecture and communication
• Hardware Guide - PCB design and assembly
• Installation Guide - Field deployment procedures
• API Reference - Software interfaces

License

[License information to be determined]

Contributing

[Contributing guidelines to be determined]