Research on Enhanced Dynamic Pig Counting Based on YOLOv8n and Deep SORT

Pig counting is an essential activity in the administration of pig farming. Currently, manual counting is inefficient, costly, and unsuitable for systematic analysis. However, research on dynamic pig counting encounters challenges, including inadequate detection accuracy stemming from crowding, occlusion, deformation, and low-light conditions. Target tracking issues characterized by poor accuracy, frequent identity confusion, and false positive trajectories ultimately lead to diminished accuracy in the final counting outcomes. Given these existing limitations, this paper proposes an enhanced algorithm based on the YOLOv8n+Deep SORT model. The ELA attention mechanism, GSConv, and VoVGSCSP lightweight convolution modules are introduced in YOLOv8n, which improve detection accuracy and speed for pig target recognition. Additionally, Deep SORT is enhanced by integrating the DenseNet feature extraction network and CIoU matching algorithm, improving the accuracy and stability of target tracking. Experimental results indicate that the improved Deep SORT-P pig tracking algorithm attains MOTA and MOTP values of 89.2% and 90.4%, respectively, reflecting improvements of 4.2% and 1.7%, while IDSW is diminished by 25.5%. Finally, counting experiments were performed on videos of pigs traversing the farm passage using both the original and improved algorithms. The improved YOLOv8n-EGV+Deep SORT-P algorithm achieved a counting accuracy of 92.1%, reflecting a 17.5% improvement over the original algorithm. Meanwhile, the improved algorithm presented in this study successfully attained stable dynamic pig counting in practical environments, offering valuable data and references for research on dynamic pig counting.