Multi-animal behavioral tracking and environmental reconstruction using drones and computer vision in the wild

Abstract

O_LIMethods for collecting animal behavior data in natural environments, such as direct observation and bio-logging, are typically limited in spatiotemporal resolution, the number of animals that can be observed, and information about animals social and physical environments. C_LIO_LIVideo imagery can capture rich information about animals and their environments, but image-based approaches are often impractical due to the challenges of processing large and complex multi-image datasets and transforming resulting data, such as animals locations, into geographic coordinates. C_LIO_LIWe demonstrate a new system for studying behavior in the wild that uses drone-recorded videos and computer vision approaches to automatically track the location and body posture of free-roaming animals in georeferenced coordinates with high spatiotemporal resolution embedded in contemporaneous 3D landscape models of the surrounding area. C_LIO_LIWe provide two worked examples in which we apply this approach to videos of gelada monkeys and multiple species of group-living African ungulates. We demonstrate how to track multiple animals simultaneously, classify individuals by species and age-sex class, estimate individuals body postures (poses), and extract environmental features, including topography of the landscape and animal trails. C_LIO_LIBy quantifying animal movement and posture, while simultaneously reconstructing a detailed 3D model of the landscape, our approach opens the door to studying the sensory ecology and decision-making of animals within their natural physical and social environments. C_LI