The semi-automated classification of sedimentary organic matter in palynological preparations

The capture, analysis and classification of sedimentary organic matter in palynological preparations have been semi-automated. First, the morphological and textural discriminatory features used in classification schemes are measured using a computer-controlled stage and a digital camera mounted on a microscope in combination with Halcon image analysis algorithms. Second, the Exhaustive CHi-square Automatic Interaction Detector classification tree algorithm is applied to all feature measurements to establish their saliency as classification discriminators. Thirdly, the results of the classification tree algorithm are used to determine the inputs used by the actual classifier, which consists of a series of artificial neural networks (ANNs). The Gamma test (GT) is introduced as a tool to help facilitate the best use of limited data and to ensure that the ANNs are not over trained. The results show that the system developed is able to achieve an average correct classification rate of 87%. This is encouraging enough to prompt further research that could result in a commercially viable system. In the future, work will concentrate on refining the image capture component of the system and increasing the size of those databases that have been shown both empirically and by the GT to be too small to facilitate the construction of accurate classifiers.

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