We are seeking a motivated student for an MSc project. This candidate will join our research group and undertake a project that aims to develop a computer algorithm to detect marine mammals in remotely captured images.

This is a marine mammal related project but we are seeking a person skilled in programming and/or image analysis.

Project summary:

The conservation and management of many marine mammal populations relies on accurate and precise estimates of their abundance, distribution and habitat use by conducting aerial surveys. An Australian federally funded project is currently being undertaken at Murdoch University to determine whether Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can replace manned aircraft.

The volume of images collected during an aerial survey, most of which do not contain marine mammal sightings, presents a processing challenge post-survey. During a previous project, images were collected at a rate of one per second, producing 3600 images per hour surveyed which then had to be manually reviewed. This processing is extremely time-consuming and fatigue undoubtedly leads to missed sightings.

Our research project aims to develop algorithms for automatic detection and classification of marine mammals within each image as a feasible alternative to manual analysis. A proof of concept algorithm has been developed as a first step. The approach requires further development to reduce the false-positive detections and decrease missed detections to a rate equal to or better than human.

Project collaborators:

Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit (MUCRU)

Australian Research Centre for Aerospace Automation (ARCAA)

Requirements:

Academic background – Bachelors in Electrical/IT Engineering, or a related field with preference to candidates with expertise in the following areas:

         1. Image processing.
         2. Software programming: MATLAB, C/C++, C#

If you are interested in this position, please contact Amanda Hodgson (a.hodgson@murdoch.edu.au) for further details.