The Big Picture Group serves as a forum that aims to resolve issues, streamline approaches and incorporate new technologies for better benthic imagery acquisition, analysis, and data flows, in the U.K. (and a few valued contributors outside the U.K.).
Coordinated by JNCC, the group brings together individuals from a range of government bodies, academic institutions, environmental consultancies and hardware developers working with benthic imagery, from infralittoral shallows to the deep seabed. Collectively, the group has experience in imagery acquisition, analysis (human-based and machine-based) and in managing the data flows from collection to archive.
Benthic Imagery Action Plan
The Benthic Imagery Action Plan provides a strategic framework to carry out necessary improvements to a wide range of imagery analysis standards in the UK. The Action Plan collates and streamlines the recommendations from The Big Picture Workshop into 87 tasks and organises them into seven coherent workflows. This framework is focused on maximising the potential of benthic imagery within the marine biodiversity conservation community of the UK, although improvements may be equally applicable to other users of benthic imagery. A collaborative working approach is proposed in this Action Plan, to maximise the use of available knowledge, resources and technology across organisations.
The Action Plan lays out a ‘road map’ for collaborating organisations to follow for the next five years, encompassing the immediate needs for method improvement and standardisation. However, this Action Plan should also be considered as a ‘live’ and developing process, rather than a static document. In this way the development and incorporation of emergent technologies may be introduced to the benthic imagery workflows in future. A working group, The Big Picture Group, has been set up to tackle tasks in the Action Plan and a facilitator, The Action Plan Coordinator, appointed to manage working collaborations of the Big Picture Group.
You can view the Action Plan using the latest version of the Benthic Imagery Action Plan Tracker.
Project working groups
The Big Picture group is comprised of nine Project Working Groups (PWG) that work both independently and collaboratively to realise the goals agreed upon in the Benthic Imagery Action Plan.
Governance and coordination
Project working group lead: Kate Wade (JNCC)
Setting up the governance and management framework necessary for coordination of the Benthic Imagery Action Plan (BIAP); ensuring it is maintained and updated to address the needs of the Big Picture Group, as well as providing advice on optimum approaches for publishing and sharing new research findings, standards and recommendations.
Overarching guidelines and purposes
Project working group lead: New lead required, please contact the Big Picture Group if you would like to lead this project working group.
Creating overarching guidelines for benthic imagery workflows, estimating sampling units and a framework for developing standards for a range of purposes behind the use of benthic imagery.
Acquisition of imagery
Project working group lead: Jon Haws (Cefas)
Reviews current benthic imagery acquisition systems and approaches, as well as new technology, to provide best practice recommendations for the future.
Identification approaches for benthic imagery
Project working group lead: James Albrecht (JNCC)
Focusing on the use of image annotation software both by human analysts and machine learning approaches, with the ultimate aim of developing consistency and confidence in the identification of taxa, and ultimately producing reliable automated annotation of benthic imagery.
Enumeration approaches for benthic imagery
Project working group lead: Jon Hawes (Cefas)
Developing optimum approaches for annotation of benthic imagery; exploring the trade-offs between cost, efficiency, quality, volume, and enumeration of taxa to meet a range of purposes.
Annotation software
Project working group lead: Mark Burton (NRW)
Investigating best practice in the use of annotation software in enumerating benthic imagery.
Machine learning
Project working group lead: Kerry Howell (University of Plymouth)
Utilising and developing current machine learning approaches for annotating benthic imagery, focusing on directing the development of automated approaches to improve efficiency, quality of data and reduce costs of imagery annotation.
Data flows
Project working group lead: Jonny Savage (JNCC) and Dan Lear (MBA)
The tasks of this theme relate to benthic imagery data flows. Data sharing flows, gaps in flows and solutions to gaps are investigated by the tasks.
Training and quality assurance
Project working group lead: Jaime Davies
Focusing on the training of imagery analysts and assessing their work to ensure standards are met. Training methods are reviewed, gaps and targets identified and a large range of new courses, workshop and resources are proposed, including developing a Centre of Excellence for Benthic Taxonomy in the UK.
Contact
Contact the Big Picture Group
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