Image Based Census for Animals

Goals:

• Create a software to detect animals in pictures and then identify separate individuals of the same species.
• Focusing mainly on Chital (Spotted Deer), create a dataset for the animals and then run software over it.

Objective:

The aim is to help forest officials to take a census using images from motion trap cameras.

Method:

• Break up task into four steps:
  • Creating a dataset
  • Detection of animals in image
  • Identification of individual
  • Logging entry into database
• Study relevant courses and topics like CS231n, PyTorch, etc.
• Explore all previous work done in this field, look for resources that might aid the process.
• Compare current detection algorithms and modify them to adapt to Chital.
• Create an identification software that uses the individuals' spot patterns to distinguish them using neural networks.
• Finally, package the software into a presentable media/format.