David Jacobs' Birdsnap in the News

Professor David Jacobs' work helps us to identify the flora and fauna in the world around us.  A few years ago, his group here at the university, along with collaborators from Columbia University and the Smithsonian produced Leafsnap, an interactive electronic field guide for plants.  Recently,  Jacobs reunited with his team--including Professor Peter Belhumeur of Columbia University's Computer Science Department--to create and launch Birdsnap, a lively and interactive website and iphone app that uses facial recognition and pattern matching to identify different types of birds.  Casual birdwatchers and Audubon Society enthusiasts alike can use Birdsnap to find birds in their backyards, or all over the United States.

Birdsnap has been the subject of many recent articles including a lengthy  feature on CMNS' website.  It has also garnered praise from the Scientific American.

This fall,  Professor Jacobs will be teaching graduate students some of the techniques used in the development of apps such as Birdsnap and Leafsnap in his course CMSC733: Computer Processing of Pictorial Information.