Bird Foot Imaging for Non-Invasive Individual Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for identifying and tracking individual birds, such as bird ringing and radio transmitters, are invasive and prone to errors like tag detachment or fading, causing stress and potential injury, and existing image-based systems lack accuracy and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A system of bird stations equipped with imaging devices that capture images of bird feet, processing these images using feature descriptors to identify and track individual birds non-invasively, updating reference data with new descriptors as needed, and utilizing multiple imaging devices for verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bird ringing or radio transmitters are attached to birds for identification and tracking, then tracking capability is improved, but bird stress and potential injury increase due to capture and handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical attachment methods (ringing, transmitters) with an optical imaging system that captures images of bird feet through an transparent surface. The imaging device uses optical fields instead of mechanical contact to identify and track birds, eliminating capture and handling stress while maintaining tracking capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an transparent surface as an intermediary between the bird and the imaging device. The transparent surface allows the imaging device to capture foot images without direct contact with the bird, serving as a mediator that enables non-invasive identification while maintaining bird welfare
2Ease of operation
If field-readable rings with conspicuous markings are used for bird identification, then identification without recapture is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to fading or detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the bird's foot pattern through imaging and stores it as reference data. This digital copy serves as a permanent, non-fading identifier that can be repeatedly compared against new images, replacing the physical rings that are prone to fading and detachment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical ring system with an optical recognition system that uses image processing and pattern matching algorithms to identify birds, eliminating the physical constraints and degradation issues associated with colored rings
3Measurement precision
If multiple imaging devices are used for bird verification, then identification accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple imaging devices into a unified system that shares common processing infrastructure. The data processing apparatus integrates images from multiple sources and applies consistent pattern recognition algorithms, merging the functionality while managing complexity through centralized processing
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-implemented method of tracking movement of an individual bird among a plurality of bird stations, each arranged to acquire an image of a foot of a visiting bird, the method comprising: processing the image from each bird station using reference data comprising, for each bird of a plurality of different birds, respective feature descriptors derived from an image of the bird's foot and a respective identifier identifying the bird, to determine whether the visiting bird can be identified as being one of the birds; and performing, for each bird station, processes of: if the visiting bird can be identified as one of the birds, generating tracking data which indicates the identity of the bird, a location of the bird station, and a time of the visit; and if the visiting bird cannot be identified as one of the birds, generating an indicator indicating that the bird cannot be identified.