RanaVision

Rana

Developer(s)	Mark A. O'Neill
Stable release	1.17 / August 25, 2011
Written in	C
Operating system	Linux
Platform	IA-32 and x86-64
License	Proprietary commercial software
Website	www.tumblingdice.co.uk/rana

Still from a Rana installation monitoring a Bombus terrestris colony

Still from a Rana installation monitoring a knapweed flower. A male Bombus lapidarius has been captured pollinating the flower

Rana motion vision system is a motion detection which uses vision to detect the presence of objects within its visual field. Rana is based on the open source motion package for Linux but has significantly enhanced motion detection capabilities. It has been designed top operate as an efficient camera trap system for recording the movements of small invertebrates, capable of operating autonomously in the field for extended periods. To date, Rana has been used a number of projects looking at pollinators including studies of bumblebee activity in the vicinity of their nests ^[1] and of the behaviour of hover flies and other pollinators at flowers ^[2] .^[3]

Field deployable Rana prototype (in grey box) with three cameras (on bamboo poles) monitoring flowers on allotment

Rana system setup

Schematic of typical Rana setup. In this case the movement of bumblebees in a colony is being monitored

Here we see a typical Rana setup for observing bumblebees in the vicinity of their colony. The colony is mounted on cork stilts inside an outer (plastic) weatherproof housing. Bees are channelled in and out of the nest via a one way system. Each channel is monitored using a Philips Phillips SPC1330N autofocus USB camera which are connected to the Asus Aspire one data logging computer via USB 2.0 connections. This logging computer runs C code which implements a motion detector which is roughly modelled on the frog visual system (e.g. a blob detector which capable of detecting and tracking blobs of a user determined size). This motion code is running on top of a Linux 3.1.6 series operating system kernel. This offers a relatively good real time performance on the relatively slow Atom N450 processor which was chosen to keep power consumption low (so the logger can operate stand-alone with solar panels in remote field locations). The data logger is connected to the outside world via 100 Mbit/second Ethernet (WIFI or mobile phone dongle could be substituted in remote field locations). The system is controlled via a web interface on the remote monitoring computer. With high end cameras like the Phillips Phillips SPC1330N it is possible to point and focus the cameras from the monitoring station too.

Showing Rana blob detection. The extent of the blob (a moving bee) is shown by the bounding rectangle

in addition to detecting moving blobs, the Rana system can also track the path of these blobs through its visual field. If required be split into a number of sub-fields within which blobs can be tracked independently. This permits a single camera to monitor a number of visual channels reducing system hardware complexity.

Rana is can be controlled locally on the machine running it via a GTK based GUI. Remote control (and live video streaming from the camera(s) monitored by Rana is also possible via web services.

Showing Rana system monitoring multiple bumblebee nests

Showing Rana control panel based on GTK GUI

References

1. Morrison, Emma (2012). "Commercially imported bumblebees: Competition for natives? A foraging activity comparison" (PDF). 3rd Year Project Report, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
2. O'Neill, Mark A.; Barlow, Sarah; Port, Gordon (2010). "Recording pollinator visitation to Rhinathus minor using an automated motion sensitive detection system" (PDF). Ento'10, University of Swansea.
3. Reed, Daniel; Tosh, Colin R.; O'Neill, Mark A. (2012). "Olfactory learning in Hoverflies" (PDF). ASAB Easter Meeting.

External links

• Rana page at the Tumbling Dice website