Using cameras for precise measurement of two-dimensional plant features: CASS

TL;DR

This paper presents CASS, a repeatable method for accurately measuring two-dimensional plant features using various cameras and calibration techniques, facilitating consistent phenotyping across different environments.

Contribution

The paper introduces CASS, a novel calibration protocol utilizing EXIF data and visual patterns for precise 2D plant measurement with diverse camera types.

Findings

Method enables measurements across different cameras and environments.

Provides code and dataset for implementation and testing.

Ensures measurement accuracy through artifact verification.

Abstract

Images are used frequently in plant phenotyping to capture measurements. This chapter offers a repeatable method for capturing two-dimensional measurements of plant parts in field or laboratory settings using a variety of camera styles (cellular phone, DSLR), with the addition of a printed calibration pattern. The method is based on calibrating the camera using information available from the EXIF tags from the image, as well as visual information from the pattern. Code is provided to implement the method, as well as a dataset for testing. We include steps to verify protocol correctness by imaging an artifact. The use of this protocol for two-dimensional plant phenotyping will allow data capture from different cameras and environments, with comparison on the same physical scale. We abbreviate this method as CASS, for CAmera aS Scanner. Code and data is available at http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3677473.