Underwater Crowd Flow Detection Using Lagrangian Dynamics

Group movement is the most important tool to study the animal behaviours, which allow animals to respond their condition with respect to environment. Crowd flow in underwater scene is used to study fish schooling characteristics

Cyclic animation using Partial differential Equations

YesThis work presents an efficient and fast method for achieving cyclic animation using Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). The boundary-value nature associ- ated with elliptic PDEs offers a fast analytic solution technique for setting up a framework for this type of animation. The surface of a given character is thus cre- ated from a set of pre-determined curves, which are used as boundary conditions so that a number of PDEs can be solved. Two different approaches to cyclic ani- mation are presented here. The first consists of using attaching the set of curves to a skeletal system hold- ing the animation for cyclic motions linked to a set mathematical expressions, the second one exploits the spine associated with the analytic solution of the PDE as a driving mechanism to achieve cyclic animation, which is also manipulated mathematically. The first of these approaches is implemented within a framework related to cyclic motions inherent to human-like char- acters, whereas the spine-based approach is focused on modelling the undulatory movement observed in fish when swimming. The proposed method is fast and ac- curate. Additionally, the animation can be either used in the PDE-based surface representation of the model or transferred to the original mesh model by means of a point to point map. Thus, the user is offered with the choice of using either of these two animation repre- sentations of the same object, the selection depends on the computing resources such as storage and memory capacity associated with each particular application

Creating Automated Interactive Video Playback for Studies of Animal Communications

Video playback is a technique used to study the visual communication and behaviors of animals. While video playback is a useful tool, most experiments lack the ability for the visual stimulus to interact with the live animal. The limited number of experiments involving interactive video playback can be attributed partially to the lack of software available to conduct instructive interactive video playback experiments. To facilitate such interactive experiments, I have created a method that combines real-time animations with video tracking software. This method may be used to conduct interactive playback experiments. To demonstrate this method, a prototype was created and used to conduct automated mating choice trials on female swordtail fish. The results of the mating choice trials show that this prototype is able to create effectively interactive visual stimulus automatically. In addition, the results show that the interactive video playback has a measurable effect on the female swordtail fish, Xiphophorus birchmanni

Modelling and Analysis of Individual Animal Movement

Movement is ubiquitous to almost all life with most individuals undergoing some spatial change across their lifespans. Understanding how and why animals move through and interact with their environment is therefore key in understanding some of the most open and pressing questions in science; from the effects of climate and environmental change on local species, to preventing the spread of disease and infection. In this Thesis we show how theoretical approaches to modelling individual animal movement can lead to a better understanding of the processes behind movement. Byusing the framework of random walk (RW) theory we analyse observed movement data to predict and interpret movement behaviour of individuals. Chapters 2 and 3 introduce the field of Movement Ecology and concentrate on recent developments within the subject along and include derivations of key mathematical properties of RW theory which will be the analytical framework for analysing movement used throughout the Thesis. Chapter 4 uses a biased and correlated random walk (BCRW) as a model of individual animal movement to demonstrate efficiency in navigation. Chapter 5 explores the variation in movement of individual ground beetles (Poecilus cupreus) and demonstrates how this variation effects predictions of important population level movement dynamics, such as the expected displacement. Chapter 6 demonstrates that a highly peaked, heavy-tailed distribution found in the distribution of turning angles across an individual’s movement path can arise from the mixing of two distinct normal-type distributions, and provides an example of how this can indicate the presence of multiple behaviours in the movement path. Finally, Chapter 7 considers how animal ‘personality’ can effect individual movement behaviour by considering the movement of stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus)across three differing experimental environments

Development and application of individual-based models for predicting upstream passage of European fish

Anthropogenic alteration of rivers is ubiquitous and leads to fragmented river systems that restrict the passage of aquatic fauna. There are considerable efforts to facilitate unhindered migration through the installation of fish passage facilities. However, recent assessments suggest upstream passage efficiencies of 42%, and suggest that only 3% of rivers in Great Britain are fully connected. Decoding the behaviours that govern up-migrating fish responses to flow fields has been dubbed a high research priority that would allow for computational metrics of fish passage and a reduction in invasive experiments. The aim of this project was to develop cellular automata (CA), individual-based models (IBM), and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models to predict the trajectories of up-migrating fishes and subsequently provide a method to computationally assess passage facilities. Past work was critically assessed to determine: the appropriate CFD approach to quantify the flow through various domains, the hydrodynamic stimuli that influence fish responses, and the current state of fish path prediction models and their applications and limitations. Multiple 2D CA and IBMs were developed to predict the passage efficiency of various eel tile configurations for juvenile European eels (Anguilla anguilla) using CFD-derived flow fields. Predictions compared well to a published values (76% vs. 74%) and suggested passage efficiency was highest for shallow slopes and low discharges. Results were extended to define maximum pass lengths and incorporated into an easy-to-use graphic. A 3D IBM, fishPy, was developed to predict up-migration trajectories of brown trout (Salmo trutta) based fish responses to hydraulic stimuli. Artificial hydrodynamic domains were created using CFD and used to verify model function. A CFD model of a passage facility on the River Esk was created based on collected bathymetry data, and compared well to measured velocity data. The IBM was applied to the passage facility and compared against measured passage metrics and fish trajectories. Overall, 2D and 3D models of up-migrating fishes were successfully developed and compared well to measured data. Potential areas for further research and development of the models are highlighted, including development of additional species modules for the 3D IBM

Modelling Fish Behaviour

This paper studies the problem of creating artificial fish for real-time interactive virtual worlds aimed at desktop environments with hardware 3D support. The artificial fish developed have the ability to move, sense and think. Each fish is modelled with a Keyframed skeletal animated body, semi-physics based movement model, sensory abilities, internal motivations, a set of behaviour routines, and a behavioural selection mechanism. These features allow the fish to act autonomously using behavioural rules in response to sensory input from the environment and other fish. This autonomous ability enables definite behaviours to be described and observed in the fish that are not simply random, cyclic or scripted. Excellent work has been previously done on modelling sophisticated artificial fish. The contribution of this paper is to focus on the practical modelling of fish for game production

Abstract

This paper studies the problem of creating artificial fish for realtime interactive virtual worlds aimed at desktop environments with hardware 3D support. The artificial fish developed have the ability to move, sense, and think. Each fish is modelled with a Keyframed skeletal animated body, semi-physics based movement model, sensory abilities, internal motivations, a set of behaviour routines, and a behavioural selection mechanism. These features allow the fish to act autonomously using behavioural rules in response to sensory input from the environment and other fish. This autonomous ability enables definite behaviours to be described and observed in the fish that are not simply random, cyclic, or scripted. Excellent work has been previously done on modelling sophisticated artificial fish. The contribution of this paper is to focus on the practical modelling of fish for game production