Annotating very high-resolution satellite imagery: A whale case study.

The use of very high-resolution (VHR) optical satellites is gaining momentum in the field of wildlife monitoring, particularly for whales, as this technology is showing potential for monitoring the less studied regions. However, surveying large areas using VHR optical satellite imagery requires the development of automated systems to detect targets. Machine learning approaches require large training datasets of annotated images.

The Potential of Satellite Imagery for Surveying Whales.

The emergence of very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery (less than 1 m spatial resolution) is creating new opportunities within the fields of ecology and conservation biology. The advancement of sub-meter resolution imagery has provided greater confidence in the detection and identification of features on the ground, broadening the realm of possible research questions. To date, VHR imagery studies have largely focused on terrestrial environments; however, there has been incremental progress in the last two decades for using this technology to detect cetaceans.