fbpx Name that leaf | Science in the net

Name that leaf

Read time: 1 min

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX23TuwP0tI]

Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution are working on visual recognition software to help identify species from photographs. Leafsnap is the first in a series of electronic field guides being developed to demonstrate this new technology.
This free mobile app helps identify tree species from photographs of their leaves. Leafsnap currently includes the trees of the Northeast and will soon grow to cover the trees of the entire continental United States.

The realization of Leafsnap was possible thanks to the collaboration between Peter Belhumeur (Columbia University), David Jacobs (University of Maryland), and John Kress (Smithsonian Institution).

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCpR4JTEy4c]

The high quality photographs on the website leafsnap.com and in the app were made by the the not-for-profit nature photography group Finding Species.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k02C7p7mQ_c]

Previews of the app:

leafsnap leafsnapleafsnap leafsnap


Scienza in rete è un giornale senza pubblicità e aperto a tutti per garantire l’indipendenza dell’informazione e il diritto universale alla cittadinanza scientifica. Contribuisci a dar voce alla ricerca sostenendo Scienza in rete. In questo modo, potrai entrare a far parte della nostra comunità e condividere il nostro percorso. Clicca sul pulsante e scegli liberamente quanto donare! Anche una piccola somma è importante. Se vuoi fare una donazione ricorrente, ci consenti di programmare meglio il nostro lavoro e resti comunque libero di interromperla quando credi.


prossimo articolo

Why science cannot prove the existence of God

The demonstration of God's existence on scientific and mathematical grounds is a topic that, after captivating thinkers like Anselm and Gödel, reappears in the recent book by Bolloré and Bonnassies. However, the book makes a completely inadequate use of science and falls into the logical error common to all arguments in support of so-called "intelligent design."

In the image: detail from *The Creation of Adam* by Michelangelo. Credits: Wikimedia Commons. License: public domain

The demonstration of God's existence on rational grounds is a subject tackled by intellectual giants, from Anselm of Canterbury to Gödel, including Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Leibniz, and Kant. However, as is well known, these arguments are not conclusive. It is not surprising, then, that this old problem, evidently poorly posed, periodically resurfaces.