FISH MAPPER: VIDEO BASED MICRO-COMPUTER IMAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM

THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A VIDEO BASED COMPUTER IMAGE PROCESSING SYSTEM CONSISTING OF A 180 DEGREES LENS AND VIDEO CAMERA WHICH IS LINKED TO A VIDEO RECORDER AND MICRO-COMPUTER. THE VIDEO RECORDER ALLOWS FOR STORAGE OF THE IMAGES WHILE THE MICRO-COMPUTER ALLOWS RAPID REAL-TIME ASSESSMENT OF THE UNDERWATER IMAGE WHICH INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO: (A) ANALYZING MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF FISHES, OR SPECIFIC SPECIES, OR SPECIFIC INDIVIDUAL FISH; (B) STUDYING IN DETAIL ENLARGED PORTIONS OF THE IMAGE; (C) STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF ANY OR ALL PIXELS (PICTURE-ELEMENTS)MAKING UP THE IMAGE TO ESTABLISH PATTERN; (D) COMPARE IMAGES OF DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS (E.G., YESTERDAY AT THE SAME APPROXIMATE TIME, OR LAST MONTH, ETC.) TO ESTABLISH RECURRENT BEHAVIOR PATTERNS; (E) STUDY PIXEL BRIGHTNESS TO ANALYZE TURBIDITY OR OTHER ATTRIBUTES THAT AFFECT CLARITY; (F) IF SPECIFIC SPECIES CAN BE ELECTRONICALLY "TAGGED" THEN A LOW COST COMPUTER BASED VIDEO IMAGING SYSTEMS CAN MONITOR A SPECIFIC INDIVIDUAL OVER LONG PERIODS OF TIME WHILE THEY ARE IN THE HABITAT. COLOR CAN ALSO BE USED AS A MEANS OF STUDYING MARINE LIFE, PATTERNS, AND TURBIDITY.