Penguin Watch Talk

[Backup] old FAQ - 1st AL: Difficult pictures or shading, trouble with counting

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

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    This is a backup of the old FAQs. Click here to see the actual ones.

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    1] Shaded zone on photo (marker turns onto 'no entry' sign)

    • Shaded zones are sometimes put in by the scientists because they do not want us to count animals in that area (usually in the distant background) which may be monitored by another camera.
    • Just count those in the lighter zone, then move to the next photo.
    • Don't click on the 'Too many to count' button when you mark all animals in the lighter zone but not the ones in the shaded area.
    • No need to comment that there are more animals in the shaded zone.
    • If there are no animals in the lighter zone press 'No, there are no animals present' button
    • !PLEASE, if the shaded zone is placed in the foreground / on the side of the image, let us know (report such images here).

    2] Penguins on the borders of the image / margins of the shaded zone

    • Please, mark even those animals which are partly or mostly behind the margin, even if you mark only a foot or head!
    • Always try to click on the centre of the visible part. So if you can see only the head, click in the centre of the head. If you can see only its foot, click on the centre of the foot etc.

    3] Blurry/dark images

    • Understanding night time behaviour in penguins is actually pretty cool and exciting as it has never been studied before because of the logistical difficulties of observing penguins in the winter and at night. Please, try to classify these as best as you can. Thank you!
    • The picture is very dark/blurry:
    • Choose the Yes button just in case you are able to mark some animals there. If you cannot see all of them, please, click on the 'Too many to count' button after the classification.
    • Choose the 'I can't tell' button in case you are not able to mark individual animals there even when you think they're present there.

    4] Tiny / distant penguins / other birds

    • If there are more animals on a distant hill who look very small and are probably penguins but they're too small to be marked, don't mark them. When you finish the classification, please, click on the 'Too many to count' button.
    • If the image shows only distant penguins too small to mark accurately, please mark just one (or "at least one") before choosing the "Too many to count" option.
    • If there are some other birds (f.e. flying above the sea in a distance) and are too small to be identified (even by a scientist), you don't need to mark them either.
    • If you see a penguin swimming in the sea, please, don't mark it.

    5] Too many penguins

    • You can always stop after marking at least 30 of them.
    • We really appreciate when you mark more than 30 (and we are very happy when you mark them all! 😃
    • The best is to start with the foreground ones and mark even a few in the background (of course not the ones in the shaded zone).
    • If the penguins are too distant to mark easily you can always submit it as 'There were too many penguins to count'.

    6] I think I miscounted the animals!

    • Don't worry. You can always make a comment on the picture if you wish to do so, to let us know but there's no need to do so. The comments are not included in the classification results.
    • Quite a number of people will count each picture. That means that the occasional mistake will not cause great problems. Just do the best that you can. Your help is very much valued!

    7] Magnification / The Magnifier circle for marking animals/humans/vessels

    • You can close the magnifier by clicking on the tiny cross on its margin.
    • When you click out of the magnifier, it closes automatically.
    • If you need a closer look at something other than a penguin, use the 'adult' magnifier to identify the animal then SWAP back to
      the 'other' marker.
    • You can drag/move the magnifier freely across the image to mark tiny distant animal images which are close together.
    • You can open the image in a new tab of your browser and use the zoom function (right click on the image to 'copy the image location) - you won't be able to classify this enlarged image but you'll be able to look closer for details you need.
    • Your computer might have an additional magnification program to help you.

    Posted