# Real-Time Localization and Bimodal Point Pattern Analysis of Palms Using UAV Imagery

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.11124 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.11124/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 18 of its 65 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 14 Oct 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 18 of 18)

- [An Image is Worth 16x16 Words: Transformers for Image Recognition at Scale](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.11929/) (2020)
- [Distilling the Knowledge in a Neural Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1503.02531/) (2015)
- [Segment Anything](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.02643/) (2023)
- [End-to-End Object Detection with Transformers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.12872/) (2020)
- [Masked Autoencoders Are Scalable Vision Learners](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.06377/) (2021)
- [Grad-CAM: Visual Explanations from Deep Networks via Gradient-based Localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.02391/) (2016)
- [SAM 2: Segment Anything in Images and Videos](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.00714/) (2024)
- [DETRs Beat YOLOs on Real-time Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.08069/) (2023)
- [Object Detection in 20 Years: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.05055/) (2019)
- [YOLOv10: Real-Time End-to-End Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.14458/) (2024)
- [YOLOv9: Learning What You Want to Learn Using Programmable Gradient Information](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.13616/) (2024)
- [CSPNet: A New Backbone that can Enhance Learning Capability of CNN](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.11929/) (2019)
- [Faster Segment Anything: Towards Lightweight SAM for Mobile Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.14289/) (2023)
- [Hiera: A Hierarchical Vision Transformer without the Bells-and-Whistles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.00989/) (2023)
- [A Comprehensive Survey on Segment Anything Model for Vision and Beyond](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.08196/) (2023)
- [Superpixel-based and Spatially-regularized Diffusion Learning for Unsupervised Hyperspectral Image Clustering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.15447/) (2023)
- [PalmProbNet: A Probabilistic Approach to Understanding Palm Distributions in Ecuadorian Tropical Forest via Transfer Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.03161/) (2024)
- [Semi-supervised Change Detection of Small Water Bodies Using RGB and Multispectral Images in Peruvian Rainforests](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.09365/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [K2VAE: A Koopman-Kalman Enhanced Variational AutoEncoder for Probabilistic Time Series Forecasting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.23017/) (2025)
- [DDUNet: Dual Dynamic U-Net for Highly-Efficient Cloud Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.15385/) (2025)
- [CP2M: Clustered-Patch-Mixed Mosaic Augmentation for Aerial Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.15389/) (2025)
- [STeInFormer: Spatial-Temporal Interaction Transformer Architecture for Remote Sensing Change Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.17247/) (2024)
- [Segregation and Context Aggregation Network for Real-time Cloud Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.14178/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Understanding the spatial distribution of palms within tropical forests is essential for effective ecological monitoring, conservation strategies, and the sustainable integration of natural forest products into local and global supply chains. However, the analysis of remotely sensed data in these environments faces significant challenges, such as overlapping palm and tree crowns, uneven shading across the canopy surface, and the heterogeneous nature of the forest landscapes, which often affect the performance of palm detection and segmentation algorithms. To overcome these issues, we introduce PalmDSNet, a deep learning framework for real-time detection, segmentation, and counting of canopy palms. Additionally, we employ a bimodal reproduction algorithm that simulates palm spatial propagation to further enhance the understanding of these point patterns using PalmDSNet's results. We used UAV-captured imagery to create orthomosaics from 21 sites across western Ecuadorian tropical forests, covering a gradient from the everwet Choc'o forests near Colombia to the drier forests of southwestern Ecuador. Expert annotations were used to create a comprehensive dataset, including 7,356 bounding boxes on image patches and 7,603 palm centers across five orthomosaics, encompassing a total area of 449 hectares. By combining PalmDSNet with the bimodal reproduction algorithm, which optimizes parameters for both local and global spatial variability, we effectively simulate the spatial distribution of palms in diverse and dense tropical environments, validating its utility for advanced applications in tropical forest monitoring and remote sensing analysis.