Author
Brennan, Nicholas
Other Contributors
Stewart, Charles V.; Stewart, Charles V.; Cutler, Barbara M.; Gittens, Alex;
Date Issued
2017-12
Subject
Computer science
Degree
MS;
Terms of Use
This electronic version is a licensed copy owned by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. Copyright of original work retained by author.;
Abstract
Photographic identification of individual animals is a vital tool for conservation efforts. We produce an algorithm to match spot patterns in whale sharks by segmenting a portion of the animal, detecting the locations of its spots, and matching them between images. We make use of convolutional neural networks to perform segmentation and spot detection, and a modification of the RANSAC algorithm for point matching. Our results show that we are able to accurately extract spot locations from the segmented images. However, segmentation is not reliable enough to replace the need for human interaction, and our matching algorithm did not produce effective results.;
Description
December 2017; School of Science
Department
Dept. of Computer Science;
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Relationships
Rensselaer Theses and Dissertations Online Collection;
Access
Restricted to current Rensselaer faculty, staff and students. Access inquiries may be directed to the Rensselaer Libraries.;