Combining feature aggregation and geometric similarity for re-identification of patterned animals

Image-based re-identification of animal individuals allows gathering of information such as migration patterns of the animals over time. This, together with large image volumes collected using camera traps and crowdsourcing, opens novel possibilities to study animal populations. For many species, the re-identification can be done by analyzing the permanent fur, feather, or skin patterns that are unique to each individual. In this paper, we address the re-identification by combining two types of pattern similarity metrics: 1) pattern appearance similarity obtained by pattern feature aggregation and 2) geometric pattern similarity obtained by analyzing the geometric consistency of pattern similarities. The proposed combination allows to efficiently utilize both the local and global pattern features, providing a general re-identification approach that can be applied to a wide variety of different pattern types. In the experimental part of the work, we demonstrate that the method achieves promising re-identification accuracies for Saimaa ringed seals and whale sharks.Comment: Camera traps, AI, and Ecology, 3rd International Worksho

Automatic Individual Identification of Patterned Solitary Species Based on Unlabeled Video Data

The manual processing and analysis of videos from camera traps is time-consuming and includes several steps, ranging from the filtering of falsely triggered footage to identifying and re-identifying individuals. In this study, we developed a pipeline to automatically analyze videos from camera traps to identify individuals without requiring manual interaction. This pipeline applies to animal species with uniquely identifiable fur patterns and solitary behavior, such as leopards (Panthera pardus). We assumed that the same individual was seen throughout one triggered video sequence. With this assumption, multiple images could be assigned to an individual for the initial database filling without pre-labeling. The pipeline was based on well-established components from computer vision and deep learning, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) features. We augmented this basis by implementing additional components to substitute otherwise required human interactions. Based on the similarity between frames from the video material, clusters were formed that represented individuals bypassing the open set problem of the unknown total population. The pipeline was tested on a dataset of leopard videos collected by the Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee (PanAf) and achieved a success rate of over 83% for correct matches between previously unknown individuals. The proposed pipeline can become a valuable tool for future conservation projects based on camera trap data, reducing the work of manual analysis for individual identification, when labeled data is unavailable

Investigating the impact of onboard and onshore cruise attributes to consumer purchase of cruise holidays in Lake Saimaa

Objectives The main objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of onboard and onshore attributes of river cruises to purchase intention of a cruise holiday. In addition, the study explored whether past experience with cruises or identifying oneself as ecotourist affects the importance attached to different cruise attributes. Summary This thesis focuses on finding out which cruise attributes are the most important ones when potential consumers are considering purchasing a cruise holiday. A conceptual framework was developed to explore the effects of cruise attributes to purchase decision and then operationalized with an online survey. Conclusions In the context of river cruises, consumers value onshore attributes to be more important than in the context of ocean cruises. Furthermore, the valuation of attribute importance is positively correlated to purchase intention. The findings also show that some consumer characteristics, such as past experience with cruises and identifying oneself as ecotourist, affect the importance attached to certain cruise attributes. Overall, the results show the necessity of segmenting markets and provides cruise marketers with information on what attributes to highlight in their marketing

Identification and recognition of animals from biometric markers using computer vision approaches: a review

Although classic methods (such as ear tagging, marking, etc.) are generally used for animal identification and recognition, biometric methods have gained popularity in recent years due to the advantages they offer. Systems utilizing biometric markers have been developed for various purposes in animal management, including more effective and accurate tracking of animals, vaccination, disease management, and prevention of theft and fraud. Animals" irises, retinas, faces, muzzle, and body patterns contain unique biometric markers. The use of these markers in computer vision approaches for animal identification and tracking systems has become a highly effective and promising research area in recent years. This review aims to provide a general overview of the latest developments in image processing approaches for animal identification and recognition applications. In this review, we examined in detail all relevant studies we could access from different electronic databases for each biometric method. Afterward, the opportunities and challenges of classical and biometric methods were compared. We anticipate that this study, which conducts a literature review on animal identification and recognition based on computer vision approaches, will shed light on future research towards developing automated systems with biometric methods

Methods for monitoring for the population consequences of disturbance in marine mammals : a review

This work was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research: Marine Mammal Biology Program, under award N000141612858.Assessing the non-lethal effects of disturbance and their population-level consequences is a significant ecological and conservation challenge, because it requires extensive baseline knowledge of behavioral patterns, life-history and demography. However, for many marine mammal populations, this knowledge is currently lacking and it may take decades to fill the gaps. During this time, undetected population declines may occur. In this study we identify methods that can be used to monitor populations subject to disturbance and provide insights into the processes through which disturbance may affect them. To identify and address the knowledge gaps highlighted above, we reviewed the literature to identify suitable response variables and methods for monitoring these variables. We also used existing models of the population consequences of disturbance (PCoD) to identify demographic characteristics (e.g., the proportion of immature animals in the population, or the ratio of calves/pups to mature females) that may be strongly correlated with population status and therefore provide early warnings of future changes in abundance. These demographic characteristics can be monitored using established methods such as visual surveys combined with photogrammetry, and capture-recapture analysis. Individual health and physiological variables can also inform PCoD assessment and can be monitored using photogrammetry, remote tissue sampling, hands-on assessment and individual tracking. We then conducted a workshop to establish the relative utility and feasibility of all these approaches for different groups of marine mammal species. We describe how future marine mammal monitoring programs can be designed to inform population-level analysis.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The relationship between humans and elks (Alces alces) in Northern Europe c. 12 000–1200 calBC

The subject of this dissertation is the relationship between humans and elks in Northern Europe during the period 12 000–1200 calBC. The elk (Alces alces) was of extraordinary importance to northern populations for several millennia, being not only the most important game animal in the boreal forest zone, but also an animal of notable symbolic significance. By bringing together different sources of evidence, and taking a long-term perspective, this study aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the elk’s significance to prehistoric human populations. The study explores the rise and decline of elk symbolism, its various manifestations in the boreal forest zone, as well as the qualities of prehistoric beliefs and activities related to the elk. The study material consists of osteological remains of elk, elk-related depictions in hunter-gatherer rock art, as well as elk-related portable artefacts. The main research methodology used is based on relational analogies deduced from widespread general notions that stem from societies where elks have been hunted. Additional research methods include a comprehensive study of earlier literature, fieldwork at rock art sites, museums and archaeological collections, as well as consul-tations with elk hunters and biologists. The study shows that the key reasons for the elk’s multimillennial special significance, and the birth of elk symbolism, were the elk’s solitary behaviour, the high efficacy and prestige status of elk hunting, as well as the versatility and unpredictability of the elk as a resource. A central argument in the study is that there were two fundamental reasons for producing elk representations in rock art and on artefacts: to gain success in hunting and to guarantee the reproduction of elks for hunting. Another central argument is that the elk cow embodied the “game ruler” or “animal master spirit” of elks, which had ultimate control over not only rebirth and fertility, but also hunting success. The focus on the elk cow as a life-giver seems to have been a key theme that persisted for several millennia in Northern Europe. It is also argued that elk figures in rock art represent elks as individuals. Figures depicted at ordinary rock art sites signalled the presence of humans in the landscape and their relationship to the local elks, whereas those found at large rock art concentrations were linked to meetings between hunter-gatherer groups. Elk-related artefacts, it is argued, were used by different kinds of individuals and in different settings but were still related to various stages of the elk hunting process. The study suggests that all hunters had a personal relationship with the elk and/or its game ruler, but differences existed in the degree of its closeness, and these differences were reflected in human societies. Consequently, the most skilful elk-hunters became the most respected authorities in elk hunting groups. In time, these individuals came to be regarded as mythical forefathers that were also depicted in rock art. The decline of elk symbolism in the region of study is explained as resulting from multiple factors, including changes in climate, the introduction of a new set of beliefs related to pastoralism, as well as an increased focus on other animal species. Keywords: Alces alces, animal art, elk, elk-head boats, elk-head staffs, elk hunting, ethology, human-animal relations, hunter-gatherers, hunting, Northern Europe, portable art, prehistoric art, rock art, Stone Age, zoomorphic artVäitöskirjan aiheena on ihmisen ja hirven välinen suhde Pohjois-Euroopassa aikakaudella 12 000–1200 eKr. Hirvi (Alces alces) oli poikkeuksellisen tärkeä eläin pohjoisille kansoille vuosituhansien ajan. Se oli paitsi pohjoisen havumetsävyöhykkeen tärkein saaliseläin myös huomattavia symbolisia merkityksiä kantanut eläin. Tutkimus pyrkii eri aineistoja yhdistämällä antamaan kokonaisvaltaisen käsityksen hirven merkityksestä esihistoriallisille väestöryhmille pitkällä aikavälillä. Se käsittelee hirvisymboliikan syntyä, hiipumista ja erilaisia ilmentymiä pohjoisella havumetsävyöhykkeellä sekä hirveen esihistoriallisena aikana kytkeytyneitä uskomuksia ja käytäntöjä. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu hirven osteologisista jäänteistä ja hirven kuvauksista pyyntikulttuurien kalliotaiteessa ja esinelöydöissä. Pääasiallisena tutkimusmenetelmänä toimii hirvenpyyntiä harjoittavien yhteisöjen parista johdettujen relationaalisten analogioiden käyttö. Muita tutkimuksessa hyödynnettyjä menetelmiä ovat kattava kirjallisuuskatsaus, kalliotaidekohteilla, museoissa ja arkeologisissa kokoelmissa suoritettu kenttätyö sekä hirvenmetsästäjien ja biologien konsultaatio. Tutkimus osoittaa hirven monituhatvuotisen erityisaseman ja hirvisymboliikan syntymisen selittyvän useilla taustatekijöillä, joista päällimmäisiä olivat hirvenpyynnin tehokkuus ja arvostus sekä hirven monipuolisuus ja ennustamattomuus resurssina. Työn keskeinen argumentti on, että hirvien kuvaamiselle esihistoriallisessa taiteessa oli kaksi perustavanlaatuista syytä: pyyntionnen saavuttaminen sekä metsästettäviksi soveltuvien hirvien lisääntymisen turvaaminen. Tutkimuksen valossa naarashirvi ilmensi hirvien ns. lajinhaltijaa, jonka vastuulla oli paitsi jälleensyntyminen ja hedelmällisyys myös saalistuksen onnistuminen. Hirvilehmän asema elämänantajana vaikuttaa olleen merkittävä teema, joka säilyi Pohjois-Euroopassa keskeisenä vuosituhansien ajan. Pohjoisessa kalliotaiteessa hirvenkuvia esiintyy runsaasti, ja ne ovat parhaiten ymmärrettävissä yksilöllisiä eläimiä esittävinä. Tavanomaisille kalliotaidekohteille tehdyt hirvenkuvat selittyvät niin vieraille väestöryhmille kuin hirville itselleen osoitettuina ilmaisuina alueen ihmisten ja hirvien välillä vallinneesta suhteesta. Suurille kalliopiirroskeskittymille tehdyt hirvenkuvat kytkeytyvät sen sijaan ensisijaisesti eri alueiden pyyntiyhteisöjen välisiin tapaamisiin. Erilaisille hirveä esittäville esineille on vuorostaan yhteistä niiden kuuluminen hirvenmetsästysprosessin eri vaiheisiin. Tutkimuksen perusteella on oletettavaa, että jokaisella hirvenmetsästäjällä oli henkilökohtainen suhde hirveen ja/tai tämän lajinhaltijaan, mutta suhteiden laadussa oli eroavaisuuksia, jotka heijastuivat pyyntiyhteisöissä. Taitavimmat hirvenmetsästäjät kohosivat yhteisöjensä arvostetuimmiksi ja arvovaltaisimmiksi jäseniksi. Ajan saatossa tällaisia henkilöitä alettiin pitää myyttisinä esi-isinä, joita kuvattiin myös kalliotaiteessa. Hirvisymboliikan hiipuminen tutkimusalueella selittyy tutkimuksen valossa lukuisten tekijöiden yhteisvaikutuksella, ja näihin lukeutuvat ilmaston muuttuminen, maanviljelykseen kytkeytyvien uskomusten leviäminen sekä muiden eläinlajien merkityksen kasvaminen. Avainsanat: Alces alces, eläintaide, eräkulttuuri, esihistoriallinen taide, esinelöydöt, etologia, hirvenmetsästys, hirvenpääsauva, hirvenpäävene, hirvi, ihmis-eläinsuhteet, kalliotaide, kivikausi, metsästys, metsästäjä-keräilijät, Pohjois-Eurooppa, pyyntikulttuur

Movements, Behaviour and Ecology of the Brolga, <i>Antigone rubicunda</i>, at multiple spatial and temporal scales

The study of animal movement patterns, within and between habitats, is a key consideration in ecological and evolutionary disciplines. Movement studies address: where, when, why and how animals move and what scales are movements taken at? For example: when and how animals move in response to internal factors, such as the need to breed, or external factors such as weather? Understanding animal movements is crucial in conservation planning and management of species. My thesis aim was to understand brolga (Antigone rubicunda) spatial landscape use across their south-east Australian core range at multiple scales. The information presented in this thesis can be applied for conservation and management of the species. I deployed 23 GPS transmitters on adults (5), juveniles (6) and chicks (12) and used a range of modelling approaches, location data and behavioural data to study their movements. Modelling methods included: behavioural change point analysis, kernel density analysis and Brownian bridge movement models to estimate home ranges; Maxent to build a species distribution model, parametric compositional analysis to study habitat selection; Bayesian and frequentist linear models to investigate relationships between environmental variables and movements, habitat use and behaviour; and NicheMapperTM to understand ecophysiological drivers of movement behaviour. GPS-tracking revealed two seasonal movement strategies within the south-west Victorian brolga range with individuals moving either 100 km or 20 km on average, between non-breeding and breeding areas, depending on capture location. However, I found many exceptions to a strictly seasonal pattern of movement, suggesting brolgas have a flexible and adaptable movement strategy. Brolgas adopted a migratory or resident strategy, indicating that the south-west Victorian population is partially migratory. I investigated whether a dynamic species distribution model (dSDM), built with Maxent using short-term weather variables, could predict seasonal distribution and movements of brolgas at a landscape scale. Using GPS tracking data to validate the dSDM output, I demonstrated that the dSDM was useful for modelling occupancy and seasonal distribution, but did not explicitly capture movements at the scale the movements occurred. However, brolgas moved further and occupied highest suitable habitat available when predicted habitat suitability in south-west Victoria was low, suggesting brolgas track areas with high predicted habitat suitability. Dynamic species distribution models may be useful in identifying suitable habitat when overall habitat suitability within a species’ range is low. At the home range scale, I used the Brownian bridge movement model to estimate breeding home range size and parametric compositional analysis to determine habitat use and selection by brolgas. I expected wetland size, density and number of chicks in a clutch to influence home range sizes, however, found only weak evidence for greater home ranges with increased clutch size. Brolgas used either single or multiple wetlands within their home ranges, and those using multiple wetlands either switched between wetlands or relocated permanently. Within their breeding home ranges brolgas appeared to select against buildings and watercourses but showed no selection for land use type. At the daily scale, I focused on movement behaviour of brolgas between foraging areas in cropped paddocks and wetland roosts. I used a correlative and a mechanistic model to investigate the influence of thermoregulatory constraints and weather on daily movement decisions of brolgas. Movements between the two habitats were not driven by biophysical requirements. The results suggest brolgas tolerate a range of weather conditions before shifting habitats to reduce heat stress and metabolic costs or to maintain water balance. In this thesis, I discuss the ecological and conservation implications of my research findings. Finally, I also provide recommendations for avoiding wind farm impacts on the threatened south-west Victorian brolga population given my findings on daily, seasonal and annual movement patterns. Many studies have investigated wind farm impacts on birds. However, this is one of a few that considers all lifecycle stages, and takes a multi-site and -scale approach to studying bird movements to inform conservation and wind farm planning

Policies, methods and tools for visitor management proceedings of the second International Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas, June 16 20, 2004, Rovaniemi, Finland

The second International Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in recreational and protected areas (MMV 2) -conference provided a forum for research presentations and for exchange of information and experience of managerial policies, problems, practices and solutions regarding issues related to monitoring and management of visitor flows in recreational and protected areas. These proceedings cover ten research topics, which were chosen to reflect current on-going research work internationally in the field of visitor monitoring and management. Monitoring visitor flows and also other types of recreational inventories are discussed in 16 articles and four posters on visitor monitoring methods, experiences of national, regional and on-site visitor inventories and visitor flow modeling and data management. Nineteen papers and three posters are discussing visitor management research from several perspectives. Articles related to issues of visitor conflicts, implementation of visitor information in management processes, different aspects of sustainability and carrying capacity issues in recreational settings make the largest group of papers. The third major subject group of articles (16) deal with visitor management policy issues, and nature tourism policies in recreational and protected areas. The last topics include economic and social impacts of recreation and nature tourism in the surroundings communities, regions and countries

Finland Suomi 100 : language, culture, history

This Festschrift was compiled to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Finland’s independence. The articles included in this book were written by scholars and teachers based at universities around the world. All of them presented varied themes on Finland: Finnish and other languages spoken in Finland, as well as Finnish culture and history

Neolithic land-use in the Dutch wetlands: estimating the land-use implications of resource exploitation strategies in the Middle Swifterbant Culture (4600-3900 BCE)

The Dutch wetlands witness the gradual adoption of Neolithic novelties by foraging societies during the Swifterbant period. Recent analyses provide new insights into the subsistence palette of Middle Swifterbant societies. Small-scale livestock herding and cultivation are in evidence at this time, but their importance if unclear. Within the framework of PAGES Land-use at 6000BP project, we aim to translate the information on resource exploitation into information on land-use that can be incorporated into global climate modelling efforts, with attention for the importance of agriculture. A reconstruction of patterns of resource exploitation and their land-use dimensions is complicated by methodological issues in comparing the results of varied recent investigations. Analyses of organic residues in ceramics have attested to the cooking of aquatic foods, ruminant meat, porcine meat, as well as rare cases of dairy. In terms of vegetative matter, some ceramics exclusively yielded evidence of wild plants, while others preserve cereal remains. Elevated δ15N values of human were interpreted as demonstrating an important aquatic component of the diet well into the 4th millennium BC. Yet recent assays on livestock remains suggest grazing on salt marshes partly accounts for the human values. Finally, renewed archaeozoological investigations have shown the early presence of domestic animals to be more limited than previously thought. We discuss the relative importance of exploited resources to produce a best-fit interpretation of changing patterns of land-use during the Middle Swifterbant phase. Our review combines recent archaeological data with wider data on anthropogenic influence on the landscape. Combining the results of plant macroremains, information from pollen cores about vegetation development, the structure of faunal assemblages, and finds of arable fields and dairy residue, we suggest the most parsimonious interpretation is one of a limited land-use footprint of cultivation and livestock keeping in Dutch wetlands between 4600 and 3900 BCE.NWOVidi 276-60-004Human Origin