The use of image analysis to determine the number and position of cattle at a water point

Abstract

This study assessed the application of an image analysis method to accurately determine the number and position of cattle which are critical inputs for enteric methane emission calculations using micrometeorological methods. Animal imagery was collected with three synchronised time-lapse cameras located at 7, 35 and 77. m from a 20. ×. 30. m water point enclosure containing 20 steers, recorded over three consecutive days. Four independent observers counted the number of animals visible in each of 516 images. The counting error increased with distance from the enclosure (0.1%, 3.7% and 15.4% of total animals) as a result of increased overlapping and decreased clarity of the animals on the ima..