VANTAGE: An open‐source application for visualisation, navigation and analysis of video and ancillary time‐series data in bio‐logging studies
Abstract Animal‐attached devices, or bio‐loggers, that record data on multiple channels are frequently used to study the movement of free‐ranging animals. In recent years, the deployment of animal‐borne video cameras in addition to other time‐series loggers, such as accelerometers and depth sensors,...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Methods in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.70026 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850148417036091392 |
|---|---|
| author | Stefan Schoombie Tagen deWet Stefan Britz Andrew D. Lowther W. Chris Oosthuizen |
| author_facet | Stefan Schoombie Tagen deWet Stefan Britz Andrew D. Lowther W. Chris Oosthuizen |
| author_sort | Stefan Schoombie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Animal‐attached devices, or bio‐loggers, that record data on multiple channels are frequently used to study the movement of free‐ranging animals. In recent years, the deployment of animal‐borne video cameras in addition to other time‐series loggers, such as accelerometers and depth sensors, has become popular. Visual observations from animal‐borne cameras provide ideal ground‐truth data when behavioural inferences are made from concurrently deployed bio‐loggers. However, such deployments generate large amounts of data that are often not synchronised and may be difficult to analyse because open‐source software tools facilitating simultaneous visualisation of multiple data channels along with video streams are lacking. Here we present VANTAGE (Video Analysis and Navigation Tool for Advanced Graphical Exploration, available at https://github.com/sschoombie/VANTAGE), a new open‐source graphical user interface written in Python. VANTAGE aims to simplify time‐consuming data processing and analyses through (1) concurrent visualisation of video footage and accompanying bio‐logger time‐series data, (2) temporal synchronisation of the different data streams, (3) efficient annotation across data types, and (4) video enhancement and machine learning functionalities. We illustrate both manual and automated synchronisation of animal‐borne video and accelerometer‐depth data (obtained from foraging penguins) using VANTAGE. Once synchronised, VANTAGE allows for quick and easy navigation through the data to areas of interest, with behavioural observations labelled on one data type reflecting in all the data series. The labelled time‐series data can then be exported for further analyses (e.g., in machine learning applications). VANTAGE allows the integration of video and other time‐series data recorded at the same time, allowing more efficient analysis and labelling of the data. Bio‐logging studies often use data from multiple loggers, and analysing these data can be challenging when not properly synchronised. VANTAGE aims to simplify this synchronisation process through visualisation of multiple data streams. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-85170f856d034a068320accc7c50393e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-210X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Methods in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-85170f856d034a068320accc7c50393e2025-08-20T02:27:15ZengWileyMethods in Ecology and Evolution2041-210X2025-05-0116591292010.1111/2041-210X.70026VANTAGE: An open‐source application for visualisation, navigation and analysis of video and ancillary time‐series data in bio‐logging studiesStefan Schoombie0Tagen deWet1Stefan Britz2Andrew D. Lowther3W. Chris Oosthuizen4Department of Statistical Sciences, Centre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment and Conservation (SEEC) University of Cape Town Cape Town South AfricaDepartment of Statistical Sciences University of Cape Town Cape Town South AfricaDepartment of Statistical Sciences University of Cape Town Cape Town South AfricaNorwegian Polar Institute Tromsø NorwayDepartment of Statistical Sciences, Centre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment and Conservation (SEEC) University of Cape Town Cape Town South AfricaAbstract Animal‐attached devices, or bio‐loggers, that record data on multiple channels are frequently used to study the movement of free‐ranging animals. In recent years, the deployment of animal‐borne video cameras in addition to other time‐series loggers, such as accelerometers and depth sensors, has become popular. Visual observations from animal‐borne cameras provide ideal ground‐truth data when behavioural inferences are made from concurrently deployed bio‐loggers. However, such deployments generate large amounts of data that are often not synchronised and may be difficult to analyse because open‐source software tools facilitating simultaneous visualisation of multiple data channels along with video streams are lacking. Here we present VANTAGE (Video Analysis and Navigation Tool for Advanced Graphical Exploration, available at https://github.com/sschoombie/VANTAGE), a new open‐source graphical user interface written in Python. VANTAGE aims to simplify time‐consuming data processing and analyses through (1) concurrent visualisation of video footage and accompanying bio‐logger time‐series data, (2) temporal synchronisation of the different data streams, (3) efficient annotation across data types, and (4) video enhancement and machine learning functionalities. We illustrate both manual and automated synchronisation of animal‐borne video and accelerometer‐depth data (obtained from foraging penguins) using VANTAGE. Once synchronised, VANTAGE allows for quick and easy navigation through the data to areas of interest, with behavioural observations labelled on one data type reflecting in all the data series. The labelled time‐series data can then be exported for further analyses (e.g., in machine learning applications). VANTAGE allows the integration of video and other time‐series data recorded at the same time, allowing more efficient analysis and labelling of the data. Bio‐logging studies often use data from multiple loggers, and analysing these data can be challenging when not properly synchronised. VANTAGE aims to simplify this synchronisation process through visualisation of multiple data streams.https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.70026accelerometeranimal‐borne videobehavioural analysismachine learningOpenCVpenguin |
| spellingShingle | Stefan Schoombie Tagen deWet Stefan Britz Andrew D. Lowther W. Chris Oosthuizen VANTAGE: An open‐source application for visualisation, navigation and analysis of video and ancillary time‐series data in bio‐logging studies Methods in Ecology and Evolution accelerometer animal‐borne video behavioural analysis machine learning OpenCV penguin |
| title | VANTAGE: An open‐source application for visualisation, navigation and analysis of video and ancillary time‐series data in bio‐logging studies |
| title_full | VANTAGE: An open‐source application for visualisation, navigation and analysis of video and ancillary time‐series data in bio‐logging studies |
| title_fullStr | VANTAGE: An open‐source application for visualisation, navigation and analysis of video and ancillary time‐series data in bio‐logging studies |
| title_full_unstemmed | VANTAGE: An open‐source application for visualisation, navigation and analysis of video and ancillary time‐series data in bio‐logging studies |
| title_short | VANTAGE: An open‐source application for visualisation, navigation and analysis of video and ancillary time‐series data in bio‐logging studies |
| title_sort | vantage an open source application for visualisation navigation and analysis of video and ancillary time series data in bio logging studies |
| topic | accelerometer animal‐borne video behavioural analysis machine learning OpenCV penguin |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.70026 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stefanschoombie vantageanopensourceapplicationforvisualisationnavigationandanalysisofvideoandancillarytimeseriesdatainbiologgingstudies AT tagendewet vantageanopensourceapplicationforvisualisationnavigationandanalysisofvideoandancillarytimeseriesdatainbiologgingstudies AT stefanbritz vantageanopensourceapplicationforvisualisationnavigationandanalysisofvideoandancillarytimeseriesdatainbiologgingstudies AT andrewdlowther vantageanopensourceapplicationforvisualisationnavigationandanalysisofvideoandancillarytimeseriesdatainbiologgingstudies AT wchrisoosthuizen vantageanopensourceapplicationforvisualisationnavigationandanalysisofvideoandancillarytimeseriesdatainbiologgingstudies |