Leveraging Thermal Infrared Imaging for Pig Ear Detection Research: The TIRPigEar Dataset and Performances of Deep Learning Models

The stable physiological structure and rich vascular network of pig ears contribute to distinct thermal characteristics, which can reflect temperature variations. While the temperature of the pig ear does not directly represent core body temperature due to the ear’s role in thermoregulation, thermal...

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Main Authors: Weihong Ma, Xingmeng Wang, Simon X. Yang, Lepeng Song, Qifeng Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/1/41
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author Weihong Ma
Xingmeng Wang
Simon X. Yang
Lepeng Song
Qifeng Li
author_facet Weihong Ma
Xingmeng Wang
Simon X. Yang
Lepeng Song
Qifeng Li
author_sort Weihong Ma
collection DOAJ
description The stable physiological structure and rich vascular network of pig ears contribute to distinct thermal characteristics, which can reflect temperature variations. While the temperature of the pig ear does not directly represent core body temperature due to the ear’s role in thermoregulation, thermal infrared imaging offers a feasible approach to analyzing individual pig status. Based on this background, a dataset comprising 23,189 thermal infrared images of pig ears (TIRPigEar) was established. The TIRPigEar dataset was obtained through a pig house inspection robot equipped with an infrared thermal imaging device, with post-processing conducted via manual annotation. By labeling pig ears within these images, a total of 69,567 labeled files were generated, which can be directly used for training pig ear detection models and enabling the analysis of pig temperature information by integrating the corresponding thermal imaging data. To validate the dataset’s utility, it was evaluated across various object detection algorithms. Experimental results show that the dataset achieves the highest precision, recall, and mAP50 on the YOLOv9m model, reaching 97.35%, 98.1%, and 98.6%, respectively. Overall, the TIRPigEar dataset demonstrates optimal performance when applied to the YOLOv9m algorithm. Utilizing thermal infrared imaging technology to detect pig ear information provides a non-contact, rapid, and effective method. Establishing the TIRPigEar dataset is highly significant, as it allows for a valuable resource for AI and precision livestock farming researchers to validate and improve their algorithms. This dataset will support many researchers in advancing precision livestock farming by enabling an efficient way for pig ear temperature analysis.
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spelling doaj-art-81cde045fab3409683f501e50035b3d02025-01-10T13:13:52ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152024-12-011514110.3390/ani15010041Leveraging Thermal Infrared Imaging for Pig Ear Detection Research: The TIRPigEar Dataset and Performances of Deep Learning ModelsWeihong Ma0Xingmeng Wang1Simon X. Yang2Lepeng Song3Qifeng Li4Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, ChinaSchool of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science & Technology, Chongqing 401331, ChinaAdvanced Robotics and Intelligent Systems Laboratory, School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaSchool of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science & Technology, Chongqing 401331, ChinaInformation Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, ChinaThe stable physiological structure and rich vascular network of pig ears contribute to distinct thermal characteristics, which can reflect temperature variations. While the temperature of the pig ear does not directly represent core body temperature due to the ear’s role in thermoregulation, thermal infrared imaging offers a feasible approach to analyzing individual pig status. Based on this background, a dataset comprising 23,189 thermal infrared images of pig ears (TIRPigEar) was established. The TIRPigEar dataset was obtained through a pig house inspection robot equipped with an infrared thermal imaging device, with post-processing conducted via manual annotation. By labeling pig ears within these images, a total of 69,567 labeled files were generated, which can be directly used for training pig ear detection models and enabling the analysis of pig temperature information by integrating the corresponding thermal imaging data. To validate the dataset’s utility, it was evaluated across various object detection algorithms. Experimental results show that the dataset achieves the highest precision, recall, and mAP50 on the YOLOv9m model, reaching 97.35%, 98.1%, and 98.6%, respectively. Overall, the TIRPigEar dataset demonstrates optimal performance when applied to the YOLOv9m algorithm. Utilizing thermal infrared imaging technology to detect pig ear information provides a non-contact, rapid, and effective method. Establishing the TIRPigEar dataset is highly significant, as it allows for a valuable resource for AI and precision livestock farming researchers to validate and improve their algorithms. This dataset will support many researchers in advancing precision livestock farming by enabling an efficient way for pig ear temperature analysis.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/1/41thermal infrared imagingpig state monitoringdeep learning for object detectionprecision livestock farming
spellingShingle Weihong Ma
Xingmeng Wang
Simon X. Yang
Lepeng Song
Qifeng Li
Leveraging Thermal Infrared Imaging for Pig Ear Detection Research: The TIRPigEar Dataset and Performances of Deep Learning Models
Animals
thermal infrared imaging
pig state monitoring
deep learning for object detection
precision livestock farming
title Leveraging Thermal Infrared Imaging for Pig Ear Detection Research: The TIRPigEar Dataset and Performances of Deep Learning Models
title_full Leveraging Thermal Infrared Imaging for Pig Ear Detection Research: The TIRPigEar Dataset and Performances of Deep Learning Models
title_fullStr Leveraging Thermal Infrared Imaging for Pig Ear Detection Research: The TIRPigEar Dataset and Performances of Deep Learning Models
title_full_unstemmed Leveraging Thermal Infrared Imaging for Pig Ear Detection Research: The TIRPigEar Dataset and Performances of Deep Learning Models
title_short Leveraging Thermal Infrared Imaging for Pig Ear Detection Research: The TIRPigEar Dataset and Performances of Deep Learning Models
title_sort leveraging thermal infrared imaging for pig ear detection research the tirpigear dataset and performances of deep learning models
topic thermal infrared imaging
pig state monitoring
deep learning for object detection
precision livestock farming
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/1/41
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