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Best practices for refining insect recognition with Trapview

Every picture taken with the Trapview automated pest monitoring system is processed and analyzed by an automatic pest recognition module which identifies, counts and marks targeted pests.

Automatically recognized pests are marked with yellow rectangles. Since throughout the Trapview applications a yellow colour means your attention is needed, the same goes for the yellow rectangles in the automatically processed images. A chance that the automated readings are not optimal always exists. It could happen that some of the targeted pests are being missed or that some of non-targeted pests are being marked and thus blurring the statistics.  

One of the key advantages of the Trapview automated image recognition module is its ability to learn, or better, remember user input (markings) and it takes it into consideration at the next time when automated recognition and marking is done on the same sticky plate. Therefore, we can identify three crucial reasons why teaching the system by doing manual review of the automated pest markings on regular basis is beneficial for you:

•         getting a clear picture about situation in the field in real-time,
•         getting accurate statistics on pest occurrence and dynamics,
•         spending less time reviewing with every new picture taken.

The manual review is done in the image editor initiated by clicking the “Mark pests” in the options menu.

The sample image above shows that one pest above the pheromone is not marked, a wrong marking of an intruder right next to it and several false markings, where only wing dust is present, but there are no insects there. There are also a few markings including two insects in the same rectangle.

The picture below shows the process of manual review and marking. By selecting a square we can resize it by dragging one of the blue dots in any direction. The false markings are erased by selecting the rectangle and pressing the icon in the toolbox below the  picture. The markings including two insects at the same time are first resized to include only one insect and a new rectangle is created for the second insect (see the pair of insects to the right from the pheromone). 

Editor enables several editing tools and actions:

• Select : with a click onto the marking square you select it
• Move: click into the square and drag it
• Resize: select it and drag one side or corner
• Delete : select and click Delete Element icon (backspace/delete)
• Mark pest : select Pest tool (or press R key) and select the area
• Duplicate : select and click Duplicate Element icon (or press D key)
• Undo (key Z)
• Redo (key Y)
• Layers: You can choose the layer to edit, hide/view

Be sure to save changes before you close the image editor. Once the image is reviewed, the rectangles will turn green as well as the pest frequency bars in the Trapview statistics charts. 

In the picture below you can see that in the picture taken a few days later there are a few new yellow markings indicating new catches. The intruder above the pheromone is not automatically marked and the false markings are not present anymore. The pairs of insects insects initially marked with the same rectangle remain ungrouped. 

This is how the manual review of automated markings has taught the Trapview automated pest recognition to include the user remarks in the later images of the same sticky plate and improved the accuracy.

For more information on how to do the manual review you can always refer to the help menu within the Trapview application.

A little pest causing great damage: Mediterranean fruit fly – Ceratitis capitata

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Ceratitis capitata is highly polyphagous and, as such, uses the various hosts in its environment as stepping stones, moving from one to another as fruit mature throughout the season.” This gives Medfly the ability to destroy an area’s production of many fruits.

The Medfly originated in Africa. It has since spread throughout the Mediterranean region, southern Europe, the Middle East, western Australia, South and Central America, and Hawaii. In general, it is found in most tropical and subtropical areas of the world.

Ceratitis capitata is a highly invasive species. It has a high economic impact, affecting production, control costs and market access.

The adult medfly is 4 to 5mm long, (about two-thirds the size of a housefly). The general colour of the body is yellowish with a tinge of brown, especially the abdomen, legs, and some of the markings on the wings. The oval shaped abdomen is clothed on the upper surface with fine, scattered black bristles, and has two narrow, transverse, light coloured bands on the basal half. The female can be distinguished by its long ovipositor at the apex of the abdomen.

Adult moth

Images of Ceratitis Capitata captured with Trapview FLY system:




More information is available here.