EXTRACT COMPARE

Extract compare is Conservation Research Ltd's software designed to automatically identify individual animals from their natural markings.  It uses still photos taken by researchers, tourists or camera traps and is applicable to any species with natural markings.

The below links will provide access to the automated photo-id systems we've developed for various species.  Over the next few months we will upload more programs and sample image sets that will allow anyone interested in maintaining an automated photo-id catalogue for that species to try using the system and check its suitability for their work.

shark   cheetahs   tigers   seal   wildebeest   zebra   salamander   chital   sand_lizard   crested_newt  adders  clouded_leopard  leopard   frog  lynx  giraffe  wilddogs cobras

The following animation illustrates extracting a pattern from the flank region of an adult female grey seal via the 3D model (thanks to Wully Patterson, SMRU).  Flank_extract_video

IMPORTANT NOTES - PLEASE READ

1- Since January 2011 a free download of software called "Wild ID" has been avialable from: http://software.dartmouth.edu/Macintosh/Academic/Wild-ID_1.0.0.zip.  The WIld ID software is a highly effective implementation of the SIFT algorithm for matching animals patterns and depending on the particular pattern and range of camera angle and animal posture in the available images the Wild ID program may be sufficient for identification without the need to scan the pattern via a 3D model, as in the links to the left.

2-The pattern matching programs available via the links to the left require that the PC is set to use the UK/USA convention of the period (".") as the decimal separator, not the comma (",") as in Europe.