Welcome to the official repository of the Tech4Diet Research Lab at the University of Alicante, dedicated to the development and dissemination of resources, results, publications, and updates from the e-Lasmobranc and e-Lasmo2 projects. We conduct applied research in Artificial Intelligence, with a particular focus on machine learning and computer vision for marine monitoring and conservation. This repository serves as a central hub for reproducible code, datasets, models, technical documentation, project news, scientific publications, and other dissemination materials generated throughout these projects.
Initial project and developments.
Extension and continuation of the initial objectives, incorporating new developments, resources, and research outcomes.
-
February 2026 – 🎤 Joint presentation of results with related elasmobranch projects (TIRRAQUI, e-Lasmobranc and GUITAR-HERO).
Participation in the official results workshop bringing together multiple elasmobranch-focused initiatives. During the event, both the e-Lasmobranc Dataset and the identification application were presented.
🔗 Results workshop: https://www.programapleamar.es/actualidad/agenda/jornada-de-presentacion-de-resultados-de-tirraqui-e-lasmobranc-y-guitar-hero -
February 2026 – 🗞️ First public release of the e-Lasmobranc Dataset!
Publication of the first public version of the e-Lasmobranc Dataset on Zenodo, providing curated image collections to support automated elasmobranch identification and downstream AI research.
🔗 Dataset: https://zenodo.org/records/18549737 -
February 2026 – 🌐 Release of the e-Lasmobranc identification application.
Official distribution of the identification application, accompanied by detailed installation instructions, examples, and supporting resources.
📰 View remaining news
-
January 2026 – 💶 e-Lasmobranc project funded by the Pleamar Programme of Biodiversity Foundation.
The e-Lasmobranc project was officially selected in the Pleamar call for proposals, co-financed by the Fondo Europeo Marítimo, de Pesca y Acuicultura (FEMPA), supporting research into new technologies and advances in knowledge of elasmobranch species in southeastern Spain.
🔗 Call for proposals: https://fundacion-biodiversidad.es/convocatorias_pleama/convocatoria-de-ayudas-del-programa-pleamar-2025/ -
October 2025 – 📄 Paper accepted: “Zero-Shot Elasmobranch Classification Informed by Domain Prior Knowledge”. Acceptance of the paper presenting an advanced zero-shot identification framework integrating domain-specific prior knowledge, representing a near-final version of the elasmobranch identification model.
🔗 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/make7040146 -
October 2025 – 🖼 Poster presented at the X Congreso de Comunicación Social de la Ciencia (Palma de Mallorca). see here
Presentation of the poster “Desmontando a Spielberg o un nuevo paradigma sobre los tiburones”, addressing public perception and science communication challenges related to sharks. -
September 2025 – 📘 Publication of the “Image Capture and Structuring Protocol for Elasmobranch Species Differentiation”.
Release of a standardized protocol for image acquisition and organization to support consistent species differentiation and dataset construction. 🔗 Protocol: https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/125030/records/68b6c5a268d9e680670075b8 -
September-November 2025 – 🎤 Early acceptance and preliminary elasmobranch identification model presented at UCAMI 2025.
Presentation of early results on AI-based elasmobranch identification, marking the first public disclosure of initial methodological approaches, laying the groundwork for subsequent zero-shot and knowledge-informed approaches. -
July 2025 – 🖼 Poster presented at the 58th European Marine Biology Symposium (Bodø, Norway). see here
Presentation of the poster “e-Lasmobranc PROJECT: New technologies for the research of elasmobranchs in southeastern Spain”, showcasing the integration of emerging technologies for the study and monitoring of elasmobranch species in southeastern Spain.
Authors: Aranda-Garrido, N.; Arroyo-Martínez, E.; Abel-Abellán, I.; Antón-Linares, I.; Ramos-Esplá, A. A.; Fuster-Guillo, A.; Beviá-Ballesteros, I.; Azorín-López, J.; Giménez-Casalduero, M. F. -
April 2025 – 🖼 Poster presented at the Red Nacional de Elasmobranquios (Oropesa del Mar). see here
Presentation of the poster “Distribución del esfuerzo pesquero en elasmobranquios en el ISRA Murcia Pockmarks”, analysing the spatial distribution of fishing effort affecting elasmobranch populations within the ISRA Murcia Pockmarks area. -
January 2025 – 🚀 Official start of e-Lasmobranc Phase 1 (e-Lasmobranc 1).
After an initial organization and planning period, the first phase of the e-Lasmobranc project formally began, focusing on dataset preparation, preliminary identification models and the definition of domain-informed methodologies. -
December 2024 – 🧾 Technical communication at the Congreso Nacional de Medio Ambiente (CONAMA), Madrid. Written contribution titled “Área Importante para Tiburones y Rayas (sureste español)”, focused on the identification and ecological relevance of Important Shark and Ray Areas in southeastern Spain.
Authors: Arroyo-Martínez, E.; Abel-Abellán, I.; Esteban, A.; Ramos-Esplá, A. A.; Sánchez-Lizaso, J. L.; Giménez-Casalduero, F. 🔗 Document: https://web.ua.es/es/cimar/isra-conama24-escrito.pdf
📘 Dataset Development and Expansion
- Study of the current situation
- Identification of reliable data sources
- Definition of an acquisition and curation protocol
- Development of the first official dataset version (minimum target: 1000 samples) — e-Lasmobranc 1
- Development of the second official dataset version with additional species (minimum target: 2000 samples) — e-Lasmobranc 2
📗 Model Development and Refinement
- State-of-the-art review
- Development of an initial identification model
- Definition of the definitive model version 1 — e-Lasmobranc 1
- Exploration of solutions and adaptations after problem understanding
- Development of an extended model version 2 — e-Lasmobranc 2
📕 Application and Resource Development
- Design and development of mockups
- Web application for dataset exploration and analysis — e-Lasmobranc 1
- Development of the mobile application
- Deployment of the web application and the mobile application
- Model updates within deployed applications — e-Lasmobranc 2
-
Beviá-Ballesteros, I., Jerez-Tallón, M., Aranda-Garrido, N., Saval-Calvo, M., Abel-Abellán, I., & Fuster-Guilló, A. (2025).
Zero-Shot Elasmobranch Classification Informed by Domain Prior Knowledge.
Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction, 7(4), 146.
https://doi.org/10.3390/make7040146 -
Beviá Ballesteros, I., Jerez Tallón, M., Sánchez Sos, B., Aranda Garrido, N., Abel Abellán, I., Antón Linares, I., Saval Calvo, M., Giménez Casalduero, F., Azorín López, J., & Fuster Guilló, A. (2025).
Informed Zero-Shot Elasmobranch Classification Using Expert Knowledge and Illustrations.
UCAMI 2025 – Pending submission. -
Abel, I., Antón, I., Aranda Garrido, N., Azorín López, J., Beviá, I., Fuster-Guilló, A., … & Saval-Calvo, M. (2025).
Protocolo de Captura y Estructuración de Imágenes para la Diferenciación de Especies de Elasmobranquios. -
Aranda-Garrido, N., Arroyo-Martínez, E., Abel-Abellán, I., Antón-Linares, I., Ramos-Esplá, A. A., Fuster-Guillo, A., Beviá-Ballesteros, I., Azorín-López, J., & Giménez-Casalduero, M. F. (2025).
e-Lasmobranc PROJECT: New technologies for the research of elasmobranchs in southeastern Spain.
Poster presented at the 58th European Marine Biology Symposium, Bodø, Norway. see here -
Arroyo-Martínez, E., Abel-Abellán, I., Esteban, A., Ramos-Esplá, A. A., Sánchez-Lizaso, J. L., & Giménez-Casalduero, F. (2024).
Área Importante para Tiburones y Rayas (sureste español).
Technical communication presented at the Congreso Nacional de Medio Ambiente (CONAMA), Madrid.
https://web.ua.es/es/cimar/isra-conama24-escrito.pdf -
Aranda-Garrido, N., Arroyo-Martínez, E., Abel-Abellán, I., Antón-Linares, I., Ramos-Esplá, A. A., Fuster-Guillo, A., Beviá-Ballesteros, I., Azorín-López, J., & Giménez-Casalduero, M. F. (2025).
Distribución del esfuerzo pesquero en elasmobranquios en el ISRA Murcia Pockmarks.
Poster presented at the Red Nacional de Elasmobranquios, Oropesa del Mar. see here -
Aranda-Garrido, N., Arroyo-Martínez, E., Abel-Abellán, I., Antón-Linares, I., Ramos-Esplá, A. A., Fuster-Guillo, A., Beviá-Ballesteros, I., Azorín-López, J., & Giménez-Casalduero, M. F. (2025).
Desmontando a Spielberg o un nuevo paradigma sobre los tiburones.
Poster presented at the X Congreso de Comunicación Social de la Ciencia, Palma de Mallorca. see here
| Name | Role | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Ismael Beviá Ballesteros | PhD Student / Researcher | [email protected] |
| Nieves Aranda Garrido | Researcher | [email protected] |
| Isabel Abel Abellán | Researcher | [email protected] |
| Irene Antón Linares | Researcher | [email protected] |
| Dr. Marcelo Saval Calvo | Supervisor | [email protected] |
| Dr. Jorge Azorín López | Researcher | [email protected] |
| Dr. Andrés Fuster Guilló | Project Leader / Supervisor | [email protected] |
| Dr. Francisca Giménez Casalduero | Project Leader | [email protected] |
This research was funded by the eLasmobranc project, which is developed with the collaboration of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through the Pleamar Programme, and is co-financed by the European Union through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.
e-Lasmo2 project is developed with the collaboration of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through the Pleamar Programme, and is co-financed by the European Union through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund.
