CenSeam (a global census of marine life on seamounts) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research
Institute (MBARI) are pleased to announce a workshop on the
Classification and identification of marine organisms from
images & video
The workshop will be held at the MBARI facility in Moss Landing, California from
29th of March through the 1st of April 2009.
Purpose
Continuing advances in the quality, acquisition, and
portability of digital imagery offer significant functional
advantages for marine research, in particular, where
remote field localities are the norm. The ability to
accurately and promptly categorize the everincreasing quantities of visual samples is becoming
critical for successful scientific analysis, collaboration
and publication.
Fulton-Bennett © 2004 MBARI
What will be covered?
© NIWA
© NIWA
© NIWA
For each featured taxon, an emphasis will be placed on overall characteristics for
classification, typical diagnostic characteristics that are visible in images,
distinctions between similar species, level of identification that is typically
achievable in images, and hints for effectively acquiring and incorporating image
data into scientific analyses. Participants should become more confident in
consistently assigning identifications to the highlighted groups, which will likely
include fish, corals, sponges, anemones, asteroids, holothuroids, echinoids and
may include select groups of gastropods, bivalves, cephalopds, miscellaneous
worms, crustaceans, crinoids and ophiuroids. While there may be some
coverage of midwater organisms, benthic habitats, including seamounts and
other unique environments, will be the primary focus of this workshop.
Visual materials and identification aids will be provided by workshop organizers
and invited speakers in a series of presentations covering each taxon. Attendees
are also welcome to bring their own images as there will likely be an opportunity
to work with specialists on classifications in open sessions at some point during
the workshop.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn more about MBARI's unique
deep-sea video archive processes. The Institute's Video Annotation and
Reference System (VARS) is a software interface and database system that
provides tools for describing, cataloging, retrieving, and viewing the visual,
descriptive, and quantitative data associated with MBARI's deep-sea video
archives. Attendees will be given a first-hand look at these tools and the resulting
annotation data, which are all available to interested external users.
Likely outcomes of the workshop will include establishment of online resources
from the taxonomic experts and workshop organizers, e.g., image libraries of the
featured taxon, access to taxonomist networks, and a bibliography of useful
literature and web site references.
© NIWA
© MBARI
Who should attend?
Professionals working in the fields of marine ecology, biodiversity, taxonomy, and
education that frequently work with underwater still and moving images from a
variety of taxonomic groups should expect to benefit. In this new era of enhanced
remote imaging, species identification by the use of traditional keys is often not
possible. This meeting will assemble taxonomic experts from a variety of deepsea taxonomic groups with the aim of providing hands-on training for nonspecialists in identifying animals in images to the highest possible level of
specificity (order, family, genus, species).
The workshop is open to all, but space is limited to less than 50 participants.
Representation from as many different institutions as possible would be ideal,
therefore, effort will be made by workshop organizers to balance attendance if
maximum numbers are approached. The hope is that this workshop will serve as
a test bed for future workshops on particular taxonomic groups and specific
habitats.
Walsh © 2005 MBARI
Chandler © 2002 MBARI
Venue and logistics
The workshop will be held at the MBARI facility in Moss Landing, California and
start on the evening of the 29th of March through the 1st of April.
Johnson © 2006 MBARI
Registration costs are expected to be US$150 or less. To submit your interest,
or for further information, please contact Nancy Jacobsen ([email protected]) at
MBARI. Please see the website for further information and regular updates
http://www.mbari.org/vars/ImageAnalysisWorkshop/.
CenSeam (a global Census of Marine Life on
Seamounts) is part of the worldwide Census of
Marine Life (CoML). CoML is a growing global
network of researchers from more than 80 nations
engaged in a ten-year initiative to assess and explain
the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life
in the oceans past, present and future. Visit the
CenSeam webpage at http://censeam.niwa.co.nz/
The mission of MBARI is to achieve and maintain a
position as a world center for advanced research and
education in ocean science and technology, and to do
so through the development of better instruments,
systems, and methods for scientific research in the
deep waters of the ocean. MBARI emphasizes the
peer relationship between engineers and scientists as
a basic principle of its operation. All of the activities of
MBARI must be characterized by excellence,
innovation, and vision. -- David Packard,
MBARI Founder. Visit MBARI at http://www.mbari.org