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https://hdl.handle.net/2440/48237
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Type: | Journal article |
Title: | Spot the match - wildlife photo-identification using information theory |
Author: | Speed, C. Meekan, M. Bradshaw, C. |
Citation: | Frontiers in Zoology, 2007; 4(2):1-11 |
Publisher: | BioMed Central Ltd. |
Issue Date: | 2007 |
ISSN: | 1742-9994 1742-9994 |
Abstract: | <h4>Background</h4>Effective approaches for the management and conservation of wildlife populations require a sound knowledge of population demographics, and this is often only possible through mark-recapture studies. We applied an automated spot-recognition program (I3S) for matching natural markings of wildlife that is based on a novel information-theoretic approach to incorporate matching uncertainty. Using a photo-identification database of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) as an example case, the information criterion (IC) algorithm we developed resulted in a parsimonious ranking of potential matches of individuals in an image library. Automated matches were compared to manual-matching results to test the performance of the software and algorithm.<h4>Results</h4>Validation of matched and non-matched images provided a threshold IC weight (approximately 0.2) below which match certainty was not assured. Most images tested were assigned correctly; however, scores for the by-eye comparison were lower than expected, possibly due to the low sample size. The effect of increasing horizontal angle of sharks in images reduced matching likelihood considerably. There was a negative linear relationship between the number of matching spot pairs and matching score, but this relationship disappeared when using the IC algorithm.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The software and use of easily applied information-theoretic scores of match parsimony provide a reliable and freely available method for individual identification of wildlife, with wide applications and the potential to improve mark-recapture studies without resorting to invasive marking techniques. |
Rights: | © 2007 Speed et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
DOI: | 10.1186/1742-9994-4-2 |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1742-9994-4-2 |
Appears in Collections: | Aurora harvest Earth and Environmental Sciences publications Environment Institute Leaders publications |
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hdl_48237.pdf | Published version | 1.14 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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