WISRD Research & Engineering Journal

● Start with better contrast between fragment and plug - see if black or dark plugs are available ● Position the plugs further apart, keeping in mind the PlantCV grid assigning function (the user can enter the number of columns and rows) for multi-object analysis ● Position the rulers to each side, which will allow them to be masked out of the region of interest ● Reset the timing of lights to take photos at either 8 am or 4 pm with tank lights entirely off. Perhaps at 8 am before polyps extend ● Secure frag plugs to the frag rack so they do not twist ● Change the titles of the images generated to be in a format such as: YYYY-MM- DD Hour-Min-Sec. Do not use underscores in any image titles, which prevents "_" from being used as a delimiter for generating csv files ● Work on identifying tank parameters that maximize coral growth 6. Future Work The following are potential avenues to extend this current research: ● Additional metadata: Add temperature and salinity sensors to tag each image ● Develop GUI ● Add a macro lens to the Pi camera for more singularly/intricately focused pictures. ● Investigate the efficacy of installing an “ice tower” on the Pi for computer temperature moderation ● Investigate night imaging with NoIR Pi-cam (no infrared filter) and infrared lighting at night for growth or the effect of that spectrum of light on the corals is, or if the coral can see/sense IR light ● Use image analysis to detect changes in coral color due to stress 7. Works Cited Koch, H. R., Wallace, B., DeMerlis, A., Clark, A., and Nowicki, R.3D Scanning as a Tool to Measure Growth Rates of Live Coral Microfragments Used for Coral Reef Restoration. Frontiers in Marine Science . Vol. 8. 2021. DOI:10.3389/fmars.2021.623645 . Roland Pieruschka, Uli Schurr, "Plant Phenotyping: Past, Present, and Future", Plant Phenomics , vol. 2019, Article ID 7507131, 6 pages, 2019. https://doi.org/10.34133/2019/7507131

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