feat: add option to disable bounding boxes and store detections in EXIF

sparrow.env

@@ -9,4 +9,5 @@ SERVER_BASE_URL=https://server.sparrow-earth.com
 TZ=Etc/UTC
 ONLY_SAVE_ANIMALS=true
 FTP_USER=camera
-FTP_PASS=
+FTP_PASS=
+DRAW_BOXES=true

sparrow/inference.py

@@ -2,8 +2,15 @@
 """
 This script uses Triton Inference Server to perform object detection using the MegaDetectorV6 model,
 and then for each "animal" detection, it crops the bounding box and sends it to a classification
-model (e.g., AI4GAmazonClassification) for species classification. The final annotated image is saved
-along with logging details in a CSV file.
+model (e.g., AI4GAmazonClassification) for species classification.
+
+Results are:
+- Logged to CSV
+- For JPEG outputs, all bounding boxes (with labels & scores) are stored as JSON in EXIF
+  UserComment so server-side can turn overlays on/off later.
+
+By default, the saved image pixels are on (boxes drawn). You can disable drawing with:
+    DRAW_BOXES=flase
 """
 
 import os
@@ -13,6 +20,7 @@
 import logging
 import threading
 from datetime import datetime
+
 from PIL import Image, ImageFile, ImageDraw, ImageFont
 import numpy as np
 import tritonclient.http as httpclient
@@ -23,6 +31,7 @@
 from filelock import FileLock
 from utils.sparrow_id import get_hardware_id
 from utils.detection_utils import non_max_suppression, scale_boxes
+import piexif  # EXIF metadata
 
 # Setup Logging & Folders
 LOGS_DIR = "/app/logs"
@@ -40,6 +49,7 @@
 log = logging.getLogger("inference")
 
 ONLY_SAVE_ANIMALS = os.getenv("ONLY_SAVE_ANIMALS", "false").strip().lower() == "true"
+DRAW_BOXES = os.getenv("DRAW_BOXES", "true").strip().lower() == "true"
 
 # Model Config Sync
 CONFIG_DIR = "/app/config"
@@ -98,6 +108,7 @@
 
 os.makedirs(CONFIG_DIR, exist_ok=True)
 
+
 def load_model_config():
     """Load model_settings.json (create default if missing)."""
     if not os.path.isfile(MODEL_CONFIG_FILE):
@@ -112,6 +123,7 @@ def load_model_config():
         model_logger.error(f"Failed to load model_settings.json: {e}")
         return DEFAULT_MODEL_CONFIG.copy()
 
+
 def save_model_config(config):
     """Atomically save model_settings.json."""
     tmp_path = f"{MODEL_CONFIG_FILE}.tmp"
@@ -123,6 +135,7 @@ def save_model_config(config):
     except Exception as e:
         model_logger.error(f"Failed to save model_settings.json: {e}")
 
+
 def fetch_model_settings(unique_id, auth_key):
     """
     Fetch updated model settings from the server.
@@ -145,61 +158,50 @@ def fetch_model_settings(unique_id, auth_key):
     except Exception as e:
         model_logger.warning(f"Could not fetch model settings: {e}")
 
+
 def model_settings_fetch_loop(unique_id, auth_key):
-    """
-    Background thread that pings the server every 1 minute
-    to update model_settings.json if there's a change.
-    """
+    """Background thread to periodically fetch model settings."""
     model_logger.info("Started model settings background fetch thread.")
     while True:
         fetch_model_settings(unique_id, auth_key)
         time.sleep(60)
 
+
 def get_current_model_name():
-    """
-    Reads 'selected_model' from model_settings.json.
-    Returns the default 'AI4GAmazonClassification' if missing.
-    """
+    """Get current classification model name."""
     return load_model_config().get("selected_model", "AI4GAmazonClassification")
 
+
 def get_current_labels():
-    """
-    Reads 'lables' dict from model_settings.json.
-    Returns the default label set if missing.
-    """
+    """Get current label dictionary."""
     return load_model_config().get("lables", DEFAULT_MODEL_CONFIG["lables"])
 
+
 def is_classification_enabled():
-    """
-    Reads 'classification_enabled' from model_settings.json.
-    Defaults to True.
-    """
+    """Whether classification is enabled."""
     return load_model_config().get("classification_enabled", True)
 
+
 def is_keep_blanks_enabled():
-    """
-    Reads 'keep_blanks' from model_settings.json.
-    Defaults to False.
-    """
+    """Whether blank images should be kept."""
     return load_model_config().get("keep_blanks", False)
 
+
 def get_detection_threshold():
-    """
-    Reads 'detection_threshold' from model_settings.json.
-    Defaults to DEFAULT_MODEL_CONFIG['detection_threshold'].
-    """
+    """Get detection confidence threshold."""
     cfg = load_model_config()
     return cfg.get("detection_threshold", DEFAULT_MODEL_CONFIG["detection_threshold"])
 
+
 # Image & Preprocess Utils
 ImageFile.LOAD_TRUNCATED_IMAGES = True
 
+
 def load_font():
-    """
-    Return a Pillow built-in bitmap font.
-    """
+    """Return a Pillow built-in bitmap font."""
     return ImageFont.load_default()
 
+
 def letterbox(im, new_shape=(640, 640), auto=False, scaleFill=False, scaleup=True, stride=32):
     """Resize and pad image to meet stride-multiple constraints."""
     if isinstance(im, Image.Image):
@@ -232,10 +234,12 @@ def letterbox(im, new_shape=(640, 640), auto=False, scaleFill=False, scaleup=Tru
     im = F.pad(im * 255.0, padding, value=114) / 255.0
     return im
 
+
 # MegaDetector classes
 class_name_to_id = {0: "animal", 1: "person", 2: "vehicle"}
 colors = ["red", "blue", "purple"]
 
+
 def preprocess_classification(img):
     """
     Preprocess a PIL image for classification:
@@ -247,6 +251,7 @@ def preprocess_classification(img):
     img_np = np.expand_dims(img_np, axis=0).astype(np.float32)
     return img_np
 
+
 # Triton / IO Setup
 TRITON_URL = (os.getenv("TRITON_SERVER_URL") or os.getenv("TRITON_URL", "http://triton:8000")).strip().rstrip("/")
 if TRITON_URL.startswith(("http://", "https://")):
@@ -266,6 +271,7 @@ def preprocess_classification(img):
 csv_file = '/app/static/data/detections.csv'
 os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(csv_file), exist_ok=True)
 
+
 def write_to_csv(image_name, detection, confidence, date):
     """Append detection results to CSV."""
     file_exists = os.path.isfile(csv_file)
@@ -275,6 +281,41 @@ def write_to_csv(image_name, detection, confidence, date):
             writer.writerow(['Image Name', 'Detection', 'Confidence Score', 'Date'])
         writer.writerow([image_name, detection, confidence, date])
 
+
+def save_jpeg_with_boxes(img, boxes_meta, out_path):
+    """
+    Save a JPEG with bounding boxes stored as JSON in EXIF UserComment.
+
+    boxes_meta: list of dicts, each like:
+      {
+        "x1": float (normalized 0-1),
+        "y1": float,
+        "x2": float,
+        "y2": float,
+        "label": str,
+        "score": float,
+        "class_id": int,
+        "source": str,
+        "model": str or None
+      }
+    """
+    exif_bytes_in = img.info.get("exif", b"")
+    if exif_bytes_in:
+        try:
+            exif_dict = piexif.load(exif_bytes_in)
+        except Exception:
+            exif_dict = {"0th": {}, "Exif": {}, "GPS": {}, "1st": {}, "thumbnail": None}
+    else:
+        exif_dict = {"0th": {}, "Exif": {}, "GPS": {}, "1st": {}, "thumbnail": None}
+
+    payload = json.dumps(boxes_meta).encode("utf-8")
+    # EXIF UserComment should start with an encoding prefix
+    exif_dict["Exif"][piexif.ExifIFD.UserComment] = b"ASCII\0\0\0" + payload
+
+    exif_bytes_out = piexif.dump(exif_dict)
+    img.save(out_path, format="JPEG", exif=exif_bytes_out)
+
+
 # Background Settings Fetch
 try:
     with open(AUTH_KEY_PATH, "r") as f:
@@ -292,7 +333,7 @@ def write_to_csv(image_name, detection, confidence, date):
 
 if AUTH_KEY and UNIQUE_ID:
     model_thread = threading.Thread(
-        target=model_settings_fetch_loop, 
+        target=model_settings_fetch_loop,
         args=(UNIQUE_ID, AUTH_KEY),
         daemon=True
     )
@@ -365,38 +406,43 @@ def write_to_csv(image_name, detection, confidence, date):
                 md_confidence = pred[:, 4]
                 md_class_id = pred[:, 5].astype(int)
 
-                annotated_img = image.copy()
-                draw = ImageDraw.Draw(annotated_img)
                 font = load_font()
 
-                drew_any = False            # track whether we drew any boxes (after filtering)
-                skipped_count = 0           # track how many non-animal detections we skip
+                drew_any = False            # we had at least one kept detection
+                skipped_count = 0           # how many non-animal detections we skip
+
+                # Metadata for EXIF (one dict per detection)
+                boxes_meta = []
+                img_w, img_h = image.size
+
+                # Only create drawing context if we actually want boxes rendered
+                annotated_img = image.copy() if DRAW_BOXES else image
+                draw = ImageDraw.Draw(annotated_img) if DRAW_BOXES else None
 
                 for i in range(len(pred)):
                     cls_id = md_class_id[i]
 
                     # Skip non-animals (person=1, vehicle=2) if ONLY_SAVE_ANIMALS is enabled
                     if ONLY_SAVE_ANIMALS and cls_id in (1, 2):
-                        # Log the skip with bbox + confidence
                         try:
-                            x1, y1, x2, y2 = [float(v) for v in xyxy[i]]
+                            x1_s, y1_s, x2_s, y2_s = [float(v) for v in xyxy[i]]
                         except Exception:
-                            x1 = y1 = x2 = y2 = -1.0
+                            x1_s = y1_s = x2_s = y2_s = -1.0
                         label_skipped = "person" if cls_id == 1 else "vehicle"
-                        conf = float(md_confidence[i])
+                        conf_s = float(md_confidence[i])
                         log.info(
-                            f"Skipping {label_skipped} (conf={conf:.2f}) due to ONLY_SAVE_ANIMALS; "
-                            f"image={image_name}, box=({x1:.1f},{y1:.1f},{x2:.1f},{y2:.1f})"
+                            f"Skipping {label_skipped} (conf={conf_s:.2f}) due to ONLY_SAVE_ANIMALS; "
+                            f"image={image_name}, box=({x1_s:.1f},{y1_s:.1f},{x2_s:.1f},{y2_s:.1f})"
                         )
                         skipped_count += 1
                         continue
 
                     md_label = class_name_to_id[cls_id]
                     det_conf = md_confidence[i]
+                    x1, y1, x2, y2 = xyxy[i]
 
                     # Only run classification if it's an "animal" AND classification is enabled
                     if cls_id == 0 and is_classification_enabled():
-                        x1, y1, x2, y2 = xyxy[i]
                         cropped = image.crop((x1, y1, x2, y2))
                         cropped_np = preprocess_classification(cropped)
 
@@ -420,21 +466,50 @@ def write_to_csv(image_name, detection, confidence, date):
 
                         write_to_csv(image_name, detected_class, clf_conf, date)
                         label = f"{detected_class} {clf_conf:.2f}"
+
+                        stored_label = detected_class
+                        stored_conf = clf_conf
+                        stored_model = current_model_name
                     else:
                         # For person/vehicle, or if classification disabled, use MD label only
-                        # (This path is not reached for non-animals when ONLY_SAVE_ANIMALS skipped above)
                         write_to_csv(image_name, md_label, det_conf, date)
                         label = f"{md_label} {det_conf:.2f}"
 
-                    # Draw bounding box and label
-                    draw.rectangle(xyxy[i], outline=colors[cls_id], width=2)
-                    text_bbox = draw.textbbox((xyxy[i][0], xyxy[i][1] - 20), label, font=font)
-                    draw.rectangle(
-                        [text_bbox[0], text_bbox[1] - 2, text_bbox[2] + 2, text_bbox[3] + 2],
-                        fill=colors[cls_id]
+                        stored_label = md_label
+                        stored_conf = float(det_conf)
+                        stored_model = None
+
+                    # Optionally draw bounding box and label
+                    if DRAW_BOXES and draw is not None:
+                        draw.rectangle(xyxy[i], outline=colors[cls_id], width=2)
+                        text_bbox = draw.textbbox((xyxy[i][0], xyxy[i][1] - 20), label, font=font)
+                        draw.rectangle(
+                            [text_bbox[0], text_bbox[1] - 2, text_bbox[2] + 2, text_bbox[3] + 2],
+                            fill=colors[cls_id]
+                        )
+                        draw.text((xyxy[i][0] + 2, xyxy[i][1] - 20), label, font=font, fill='white')
+
+                    drew_any = True  # we have at least one kept detection
+
+                    # Store normalized coordinates + label in metadata list
+                    norm_x1 = float(x1) / float(img_w)
+                    norm_y1 = float(y1) / float(img_h)
+                    norm_x2 = float(x2) / float(img_w)
+                    norm_y2 = float(y2) / float(img_h)
+
+                    boxes_meta.append(
+                        {
+                            "x1": norm_x1,
+                            "y1": norm_y1,
+                            "x2": norm_x2,
+                            "y2": norm_y2,
+                            "label": stored_label,
+                            "score": float(stored_conf),
+                            "class_id": int(cls_id),
+                            "source": "megadetectorv6",
+                            "model": stored_model,
+                        }
                     )
-                    draw.text((xyxy[i][0] + 2, xyxy[i][1] - 20), label, font=font, fill='white')
-                    drew_any = True
 
                 # Per-image summary for skipped detections
                 if ONLY_SAVE_ANIMALS and skipped_count:
@@ -451,8 +526,16 @@ def write_to_csv(image_name, detection, confidence, date):
                     print(f"Removed source file {image_path} (all detections filtered)")
                     continue
 
-                annotated_img.save(os.path.join(output_dir, image_name))
-                print(f"Saved {os.path.join(output_dir, image_name)}")
+                # Save CLEAN image, embedding boxes in EXIF if JPEG
+                out_path = os.path.join(output_dir, image_name)
+                img_to_save = image  # always save original pixels
+
+                if image_name.lower().endswith((".jpg", ".jpeg")):
+                    save_jpeg_with_boxes(img_to_save, boxes_meta, out_path)
+                else:
+                    img_to_save.save(out_path)
+
+                print(f"Saved {out_path}")
 
             # Remove original after processing
             os.remove(image_path)

sparrow/requirements.txt

@@ -25,3 +25,4 @@ librosa==0.10.2.post1
 numba==0.59.1
 llvmlite==0.42.0
 pyftpdlib==2.1.0
+piexif==1.1.3