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Plankton Imaging

Analysis

High Speed

High Volume

Shipborne



Plankton Analytics

Plankton Analytics Ltd. produces high speed imaging and analysis instruments that photograph plankton in the size range 100 micron to 20 mm in water.  Each specimen imaged is timestamped, GPS located and recorded to disk for further analysis. 


Our instruments operate 24/7 365 days on board ship for ecological surveys with minimal maintenance. The model Pi-10 images two cubic metres per hour at 10 microns resolution. 


Software tools support ecological analysis

For more information, click here

Image courtesy of James Scott 28.05.22 on board
CEFAS RV Endeavour

An Overview of the Pi-10

  • The Pi-10 continuously images a pumped water supply at 34 litres/minute and 10µm resolution.
  • Particles are extracted, GPS and time stamped, saved to hard drive and shared across a local area network simultaneously.
  • Additional software analyses each particle, extracting particle length, width, area. A Random Forest Classifier semi-automatically sorts into 42 putative classes. A recent innovation has been a DNN Pre Sorter trained for Detritus/Copepod/Non-Copepod, developed in collaboration with The Turing Institute, UK and CEFAS, UK.
  • Spreadsheet reports available for:-
  1. Station-based analysis (replacing net sampling)
  2. Novel Continuous Track analysis
  • The Pi-10 has proved to be low maintenance

Publications

  • Pitois SG, et al. (2021) A first approach to build and test the Copepod Mean Size and Total Abundance (CMSTA) ecological indicator using in-situ size measurements from the Plankton Imager (PI). Ecological Indicators 123 (2021) 107307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107307
  • Pitois SG, et al. (2018). Comparison of a cost-effective integrated plankton sampling and imaging instrument with traditional systems for mesozooplankton sampling in the Celtic Sea. Front. Mar. Sci. 5, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00005
  • Scott J, et al.  (2021) In situ automated imaging, using the Plankton Imager, captures temporal variations in mesozooplankton using the Celtic Sea as a case study. J. Plankton Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbab018.


Click to view full list of publications

Click here to see the Pi-10 at the Plymouth Marine Technology Expo

For more information on the  Pi-10

Contact Us

Email Us

Pi-10 installation

The Plankton Imager model Pi-10 is designed to be bulkhead mounted on board ship in a wet-area, laboratory or quay-side building. The photograph (left) shows a Pi-10 mounted within the normal Stainless Steel frame. The Pi-10 can be removed easily for annual service. Flow cell cleaning is made simple through the use of quick-release water hoses and drain-valve..


Custom frames can be fabricated to suit all mount locations.


The photograph shows the following connections:


  • Water inlet (right)
  • Water outlet (top)
  • 110-250VAC input (top-right)
  • Drain-down valve and drain hose (bottom)
  • Computer data cables (top-right)

1) Scott J, Pitois S, Creach V, Malin G, Culverhouse P, Tilbury J (2023)

Resolution changes relationships: Optimizing sampling design using small scale zooplankton data. Progress in Oceanography (210), 102946. ISSN 0079-6611.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2022.102946


2) Giering SLC, Culverhouse PF, Johns DG, McQuatters-Gollop A and Pitois SG (2022) Are plankton nets a thing of the past? An assessment of in situ imaging of zooplankton for large-scale ecosystem assessment and policy decision-making. Front. Mar. Sci. 9:986206. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.986206


3) Scott J, Pitois S, Close H, Almeida N, Culverhouse PF, Tilbury J and Malin G (2021) In situ automated imaging, using the Plankton Imager, captures temporal variations in mesozooplankton using the Celtic Sea as a case study. Journal of Plankton Research, Volume 43, Issue 2, March/April 2021, Pages 300–313, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbab018


4) Pitois SG, Graves CA, Close H, Lynam C, Scott J, Tilbury J, Van der Kooij, J and Culverhouse PF, (2021) A first approach to build and test the Copepod Mean Size and Total Abundance (CMSTA) ecological indicator using in-situ size measurements from the Plankton Imager (PI) Ecological Indicators 123, 107307. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107307


5) Pitois SG, Tilbury J, Bouch P, Close, H, Barnett S and Culverhouse, PF (2018) Comparison of a Cost-Effective Integrated Plankton Sampling and Imaging Instrument with Traditional Systems for Mesozooplankton Sampling in the Celtic Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science 5, 9 pages, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00005

   

6) Culverhouse PF, Williams R , Gallienne C, Tilbury J and Wall-Palmer D (2016) Ocean-Scale Monitoring of Mesozooplankton on Atlantic Meridional Transect 21. J Marine Biol Aquacult 2(1): 1-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.15436/2381-0750.16.018

   

7) Culverhouse PF, Gallienne C, Tilbury J and Williams R (2015) An Instrument for Rapid Mesozooplankton Monitoring at Ocean Basin Scale. J Marine Biol Aquacult 1(1): 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.15436/2381-0750.15.001

 

8) Culverhouse PF (editorial) (2015) Biological Oceanography Needs New Tools to Automate Sample Analysis. J Marine Biol Aquacult 1(1): 1-2. http://dx.doi.org/10.15436/2381-0750.15.e002


PYTHON CODE Resource

 

A Deep-learning Plankton Classification resource has been developed, led by Sophie Pitois of CEFAS, UK in conjunction with the Turing Institute, UK., as a Python resource sharing Models, code and example data for meszooplankton datasets (see https://github.com/PlanktonAnalytics/PlanktonClassification)

Data

Pitois et al (2020). Zooplankton abundance data derived from the Plankton Imager system from the Western English Channel and Eastern Irish Sea from 2016 to 2019. Cefas, UK. V1. doi: https://doi.org/10.14466/CefasDataHub.101



ROI's gallery

The Netherlands


Pi-10 ROI's collected by Lodewijk Van Walraven (Wageningen Marine Research, The Netherlands) taken in Scheveningen harbour over 24 and 25 May 2023. Coordinates 52.101265, 4.268235 at a depth of 4m.

Contact: lodewijk.vanwalraven@wur.nl, https://www.wur.nl/en/research-results/research-institutes/marine-research.htm


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