The symposium will run from 10 am till 2:40 pm.

10:00-10:10 Welcome 

10:10-11:10 Plenary talk

Statistics with a human face
Prof. Adrian Bowman, University of Glasgow

11:10-11:25 Break

11:25-12:00 Rapid Fire session

12:00- 12:15 Break

12:15-13:15 Plenary talk

Counting dolphins and whales in the high seas: new opportunities using recent advances in technology
Dr Cornelia S. Oedekoven, University of St Andrews

13:15-14:00 Lunch break

14:00- 14:20 Nightingale 2020 talk

Recreating Nightingale’s Coxcombs with the Tidyverse

Edward Gunning, University of Limerick

14:20-14:40 Prizes and Closing remarks 

Professor Marion Campbell, University of Aberdeen Vice-Principal Research

Prof. Adrian Bowman
School of Mathematics & Statistics - University of Glasgow

Statistics with a human face

Three-dimensional surface imaging, through laser-scanning or stereo-photogrammetry, provides high-resolution data defining the surface shape of objects.  Human faces are of particular interest and there are many biological and anatomical applications, including assessing the success of facial surgery and investigating the possible developmental origins of some adult conditions.  An initial challenge is to structure the raw images by identifying features of the face.  Ridge and valley curves provide a very good intermediate level at which to approach this, as these provide a good compromise between informative representations of shape and simplicity of structure.  Some of the issues involved in analysing data of this type will be discussed and illustrated.  Modelling issues include simple comparison of groups, the measurement of asymmetry and longitudinal patterns of shape change.  This last topic is relevant at short scale in facial animation, medium scale in individual growth patterns, and very long scale in phylogenetic studies.  

Dr Cornelia S. Oedekoven
School of Mathematics and Statistics - University of St Andrews

Counting dolphins and whales in the high seas: new opportunities using recent advances in technology

Distance sampling (e.g. line or point transects) is a commonly used method for estimating wildlife abundance. One critical assumption is that all animals on the line/point are detected with certainty, often referred to as g(0)=1, where g(y) describes the detection probabilities with increasing distance y from the line/point. Mark-recapture distance sampling (MRDS) allows g(0) to be estimated. Here, two observation platforms are required where, in the trial configuration, platform 2 sets up trials for platform 1 requiring independence of platform 1 from platform 2. Ensuring independence is often challenging logistically or due to observation conditions or animal behaviour. I present new avenues in the MRDS context for improving independence using new technology and illustrate how we implemented these in the high seas:

Using long-range (~100km) drones as the second visual platform during an offshore line transect survey for highly evasive dolphins where the drone sets up trials ahead of the ship.
Simultaneous visual and acoustic line transect surveys for offshore dolphins where visual and acoustic platforms set up trials for each other.
Acoustic surveys of bowhead whale calls using multiple stationary sensors where for each sensor, call detections on the surrounding sensors form the trials. 

RSS Young Statisticians Section
RSS Highlands Local Group
Contact email: yrs@abdn.ac.uk