Teaching Computer Vision for Ecology

Elijah Cole, Suzanne Stathatos, Björn Lütjens, Tarun Sharma, Justin Kay, Jason Parham, Benjamin Kellenberger, Sara Beery

Abstract: Computer vision can accelerate ecology research by automating the analysis of raw imagery from sensors like camera traps, drones, and satellites. However, computer vision is an emerging discipline that is rarely taught to ecologists. This work discusses our experience teaching a diverse group of ecologists to prototype and evaluate computer vision systems in the context of an intensive hands-on summer workshop. We explain the workshop structure, discuss common challenges, and propose best practices. This document is intended for computer scientists who teach computer vision across disciplines, but it may also be useful to ecologists or other domain experts who are learning to use computer vision themselves.