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Automatic counting of chickens in confined area using the LCFCN algorithm
No full textGrouping chickens based on their weights is an important process that takes place in many chicken farms in New Zealand where chickens are grouped into three categories: small, medium and large. Each category has pins (cages) to temporarily hold the chickens during the process and a permeant bigger section to hold the chickens after grouping. Chickens are weighed and placed in respective pins. Thereafter they are released to the permanent section. Currently, the chickens are counted manually when they are released from a pin to a bigger section. The task of weighing chickens, placing them in a pin and releasing them to a bigger section is repeated until all chickens are moved to their respective bigger section and the total number of chickens in each section is calculated. This manual effort is done by several employees and takes several hours. This study investigated the feasibility of using deep learning algorithms to replace the manual counting. We applied the localized fully convolutional network (LCFCN) algorithm to count and locate chickens from images of the pins. LCFCN was applied to a dataset of 4092 images containing 114132 chickens. The algorithm was evaluated using the Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) metrics and achieved the values of 0.5592, 1.36% and 1.67 respectively which are promising results in this setting. Furthermore, we modified the implementation of LCFCN to enable a user to manually alter the predicted labels to guarantee error free counting and localization
Integrating an electronic compass for position tracking on a wheeled tricycle mobile robot
Full text linkDead-reckoning via encoders on wheeled-mobile robots is a simple but inaccurate method to estimate position. The major drawback of encoders is wheel slippage errors that accumulate over time. This problem is often addressed by using additional sensors such as compass, gyroscope, or GPS. This paper details the integration and effectiveness of a relatively low-cost solution using an electronic compass to reduce positioning error on a wheeled tricycle mobile robot. A customised Visual Studio program has been developed to adjust the settings of the electronic compass and integrate it with the Visual Studio based robot control system. The electronic compass heading data is fused with the encoder odometry heading data in three different ways: simple fusion, linear weighted fusion, and Kalman filter fusion. Simple fusion and linear weighted fusion rely on parameters determined from angular acceleration and angular velocity, respectively. The Kalman filter uses variance data for the encoders and electronic compass to determine an optimal heading. Experiments have been conducted in an indoor corridor environment to evaluate and compare the various fusion methods. Position error is successfully reduced and is sufficient to locate the robot within the corridor
Perspectives: The player-pony dyad in Polo, lessons from other sports and future directions
Full text linkThe interaction between the horse-athlete dyad is fundamental to successful performance in equestrian sport Quantification of the dyad is of interest to a range of sports science disciplines and may be achieved objectively or subjectively Polo presents an ideal model to assess the playerhorse-pony rider dyad due to the high volume of interactions and high degree of repeatabilit
Youth and New Zealand alcohol advertising on social media
Full text linkIn Aotearoa New Zealand, the production and sale of alcohol is a multi-billion-dollar industry. My research aim is to find out the relationship that New Zealand youth have with the multi-billion-dollar alcohol industry, primarily on social media. I aim to discover more information around how young people interact with age-gating restrictions online through my research. My research questions outline the situation of the access younger age consumers might have to alcohol advertising online, if the users’ date of birth is registered incorrectly on social networking platforms in order to see what implications there are to our current advertising standards. I surveyed 25 respondents aged 13-17 to gain qualitative data to gain perspectives and responses from the key target demographic who are under our legal drinking age within New Zealand. The unconscious consumer theory gives my research some context as to the impact the digital environment has on consumer behaviour. If youth mimic the actions represented in media, what is the implications of only seeing alcohol in a positive light, particularly for those that are not yet at the legal drinking age? To evoke change, there needs to be a value proposition for liquor brands to embrace social responsibility as more than just a marketing gimmick, but a social issue that their consumers know they are passionate about
Te Pūkenga libraries: A transdisciplinary design of the library of the future - an insider approach
Full text linkThis TDR inquiry examines the future of ITP libraries in Aotearoa as it joins the national network known as Te Pūkenga. The questions were asked ‘What will ITP libraries look like in ten years with the introduction of 4.0 technologies’ and ‘what makes a distinctly Aotearoa-based library service’? The inquiry was conducted over the first two years of Te Pūkenga creation. It evolved and moved with the disruptive and unpredictable waves that creating a new network produces. It was also conducted during the two years of the pandemic, COVID-19.
It examines the possibility of a new and innovative library system that fits seamlessly into the structure developed by Te Pūkenga, incorporating Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles, decolonisation practices and equity of service models into the very makeup of the structure. It examines the complex nature of academic library service within its parent institution.
Incorporating evidence from secondary information, surveys, interviews, and personal professional reflections. This inquiry demonstrates a TDR framework by incorporating as many voices as possible from many different stakeholder groups. The surveys and interviews asked questions of the library kaimahi within and external to Te Pūkenga to see what was important in academic library services and what is needed in the next ten years. It also asked the ākonga and general Te Pūkenga kaimahi their thoughts on library services and what they would like to see. The inquiry proposes a national library structure and service that will keep up to date with changing trends, 4.0 technology and disruptions that will arise over the next ten years and how an academic library service can remain relevant in the life of ākonga. It also discusses the need to have a foundation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and a focus on equity of service to support ākonga success
Small Waves
No full textScore/soundtrack for Small Waves, dir. Matt Walker, presented at:
Brooklyn Film Festival, New York, 2022
Show Me Shorts Film Festival, NZ, 202
Literature review
Full text linkRecognising that every PhD is different, the authors discuss three ways to find one’s voice when constructing a literature review. Ryan adopted an interdisciplinary stance, where he compared and contrasted the meanings of key concepts across a range of academic disciplines before arriving at his own definitions. By contrast, Wang began by reading deeply within the specific topic of her thesis, and attempting to find her own critical voice. Lin suggests a reflexive approach in which the candidate and their supervisors share and enrich each other’s cultural capital; this should lead to the candidate finding their own voice and eventually becoming a legitimate participant in the academic community of practice
Data analysis
Full text linkThis chapter examines the data analysis stage of the PhD candidature. It begins with a discussion of key issues concerning qualitative data analysis raised in relevant literature, then provides an overview of my project, before moving on to narrate and discuss my own experience – strategies, struggles, and rewards – of tackling large amounts of multiple-sourced and multi-layered data. The account goes chronologically from initial data processing, coding, and theory construction to writing up the findings. Three aspects are highlighted: dealing with multiple-sourced bilingual data, inductive and/or deductive analysis, and reflection and reflexivity. The section concludes by considering the data analysis phase in terms of academic and personal development