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Image analysis in morphological animal evaluation: a group for the development of new techniques in zoometry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2011

G. Zehender
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ricerche sull'Adattamento dei Bovini e dei Bufali all'Ambiente del Mezzogiorno, C.N.R., Napoli, Italy
L.P. Cordella
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Informatica e Sistemistica, Universita' degli Studi di Napoli, Napoli, Italy
A. Chianese
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Informatica e Sistemistica, Universita' degli Studi di Napoli, Napoli, Italy
L. Ferrara
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ricerche sull'Adattamento dei Bovini e dei Bufali all'Ambiente del Mezzogiorno, C.N.R., Napoli, Italy
A. del Pozzo
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Informatica e Sistemistica, Universita' degli Studi di Napoli, Napoli, Italy
S. Barbera
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche, Facolta' di Agraria, Torino, Italy
A. Bosticco
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche, Facolta' di Agraria, Torino, Italy
P. Negretti
Affiliation:
Istituto di Zootecnia, Facolta' di Agraria, Universita' della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
G. Bianconi
Affiliation:
Istituto di Zootecnia, Facolta' di Agraria, Universita' della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
G. Filippi Balestra
Affiliation:
Istituto di Zootecnia, Facolta' di Agraria, Universita' della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
R. Tonielli
Affiliation:
Istituto di Ricerca Geo Mare Sud C.N.R., Napoli, Italy
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Summary

The aim of the project is to seek new and more reliable methodologies to survey morphological parameters in domestic animals. The study describes the traditional tools adopted until today in the field of Zoometry and reports the methods independently set up by different research units, now combined into a single one. The approach was different in different applications but based on the same basic steps: video or photo shooting, computerised scanner image processing, achievement of precise body measurements and evaluation of the animals. The accuracy of the system was compared with the body measurements obtained manually and the results gave maximum difference of 1.1%. When warm carcass percentage was estimated by body measurements the observed error was 2.5%. The advantages of these new techniques are considerable, in terms of both accuracy of measurements and capability to survey new morphological parameters such as angles and surfaces, which are presently not measurable. The potentialities of the methodologies discussed allow more exact criteria of evaluation for the domestic and wild animals also when they are in natural living conditions. Moreover, the way is now opened to an improvement of the image acquisition techniques to calculate a tridimensional matrix.

Résumé

L'objectif de ce projet est de trouver des instruments nouveaux et de moderniser les méthodes de mésure dans le domaine de l'étude des dimensions des animaux. Les auteurs, après la description des instruments et des méthodes employés jusqu'aujourd'hui pour les mesures somatiques des animaux domestiques, reportent des nouvelles techniques mises au point pour mesurer des espèces animales différentes élevées dans les milieux les plus variés. Quoique les instruments utilisés soient différents, la méthode a eté la même: acquisition des images sur video; calcul des mesures exactes; évaluation des animaux. La comparaison des mesures obtenues par la méthode traditionnelle avec celles obtenues par la nouvelle méthode a permis d'évaluer une différence maximale de 1,1%. Quand le pourcentage de la carcasse a eté évalué par des mesures corporelles, l'erreur observée a eté de 2,5%. Au debut les travaux de recherche ont eté conduits séparément, mais maintenant les différentes equipes se sont organisées dans un seul groupe de recherche. Les avantages qui peuvent dériver de cette nouvelles technique sont importants, soit pour la précision des mesures, soit pour la possibilité d'employer de nouveaux paramètres morphologiques comme angles et surfaces. Tout cela introduit des nouveaux critères d'évaluation et amélioration des animaux. En outre, on a maintenant les moyens techniques pour arriver à calculer une matrice tridimensionelle.

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 1996

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References

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