Identification on earthtoolsmaker

Learning to Compare: A Visual Guide to Metric Learning for Wildlife Re-ID

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Camera traps and field photos arrive by the thousand, and for conservation the first question is almost always the same: have we seen this animal before? Answering it — recognising an individual across time, cameras, and seasons — is called re-identification, and it underpins how researchers count populations, follow movements, and measure whether protection is working.

This is a visual, intuition-first tour of metric learning: the idea behind most modern re-identification systems. No heavy maths — just the shape of the problem and why this approach fits it so well.

Wadden Sea Seal Monitoring

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Automated seal population monitoring system using AI to count, classify, and identify individual seals from aerial imagery in the Wadden Sea.

Snow Leopard Monitoring

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Non-invasive snow leopard monitoring using computer vision analysis of camera trap photos to identify individual animals.

Identify individuals with Local Feature Matching

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this post, we will explore a powerful technique widely used for identifying individuals across various species. This method leverages unique physical markings that remain relatively stable throughout an organism’s lifetime, making it effective for species with distinct patterns. For instance, whale sharks, trout, turtles, and seals all possess unique spot or scale patterns that lend themselves well to this computer vision approach.

By harnessing these identifiable features, researchers and conservationists can track and monitor individual animals, contributing to our understanding of biodiversity and aiding in conservation efforts. Join us as we delve into the intricacies of this technique and its applications in wildlife identification.

How to prepare data for identification?

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this post, we will explore essential preprocessing techniques for normalizing animal images, preparing them for individual identification.

We will focus on the initial stages of the machine learning pipelines developed for various projects, specifically bear and trout identification. In both cases, similar computer vision techniques and strategies were employed to successfully create robust identification systems.

Overview of the ML pipeline to identify bears using their facial markings with Metric Learning

Trout Identification

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Non-invasive technology for monitoring trout populations using computer vision to accurately identify individual fish.

A guide to designing a bear face recognition system

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In this post we’ll walk through the technical development of a bear face recognition system — a critical component of the bear identification system built in close collaboration with the BearID Project NGO.

Our research and software tool will provide a replicable technique and general approach that can be applied to other species beyond bears, which could aid conservation efforts worldwide.

– BearID Project

For the full picture, here is the bear identification pipeline — tap through for the project:

Bear Identification

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Noninvasive technologies to identify and monitor bears, facilitating their conservation.