Stellenbosch scientists create software to see which sharks visit when
A marine biologist‚ an applied mathematician and a software developer from Stellenbosch University have combined their expertise to develop a custom-made software package‚ called Identifin‚ documenting shark profiles. The lack of a standardised procedure for collecting data about elusive and hard-to-find species such as the great white shark has, to date, seriously hampered efforts to manage and protect these animals Dr Sara Andreotti‚ a marine biologist in the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University‚ has collected more than 5‚000 photographic images of the dorsal fins of white sharks along the South African coastline as part of her research. She spent six years building the database with information on where and when individual white sharks are sighted. "I nearly lost my head. I quickly realised that in the long term, updating the database was going to consume more and more of my time. That is when I headed over campus to the applied mathematics division and ask...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.