Using YOLO Object Detection to Identify Hare and Roe Deer in Thermal Aerial Video Footage—Possible Future Applications in Real-Time Automatic Drone Surveillance and Wildlife Monitoring

Abstract

Wildlife monitoring can be time-consuming and expensive, but the fast-developing technologies of uncrewed aerial vehicles, sensors, and machine learning pave the way for automated monitoring. In this study, we trained YOLOv5 neural networks to detect points of interest, hare (Lepus europaeus), and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in thermal aerial footage and proposed a method to manually assess the parameter mean average precision (mAP) compared to the number of actual false positive and false negative detections in a subsample. This showed that a mAP close to 1 for a trained model does not necessarily mean perfect detection and provided a method to gain insights into the parameters affecting the trained models’ precision. Furthermore, we provided a basic, conceptual algorithm for implementing real-time object detection in uncrewed aircraft systems equipped with thermal sensors, high zoom capabilities, and a laser rangefinder. Real-time object detection is becoming an invaluable complementary tool for the monitoring of cryptic and nocturnal animals with the use of thermal sensors.

Multi-Altitude Corn Tassel Detection and Counting Based on UAV RGB Imagery and Deep Learning

“…Figure 10 illustrates the comparison between the proposed model and the original Yolov8 concerning precision throughout the training process [37]. The analysis reveals that the proposed model surpasses the original Yolov8 in all aspects, notably in precision, demonstrating a marked enhancement.…”

Comprehensive Investigation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): An In-Depth Analysis of Avionics Systems

“…), are found to be ideal for reconnaissance [4], border patrol [5], and disaster response [6]. Aside from agricultural-and military-based applications, environmental processes also benefit from UAVs, such that ecosystems can be remotely surveyed [7], wildlife can be dynamically tracked [8], and crucial data for conservation efforts and disaster management can be better gathered [9]. Forwardly, building inspection operations [10] and oil and gas infrastructure monitoring [11] can also be leveraged by means of UAVs for the commercial and industrial sectors [12].…”