Advanced vision transformers and open-set learning for robust mosquito classification: A novel approach to entomological studies

Mosquito-related diseases pose a significant threat to global public health, necessitating efficient and accurate mosquito classification for effective surveillance and control. This work presents an innovative approach to mosquito classification by leveraging state-of-the-art vision transformers and open-set learning techniques. A novel framework has been introduced that integrates Transformer-based deep learning models with comprehensive data augmentation and preprocessing methods, enabling robust and precise identification of ten mosquito species. The Swin Transformer model achieves the best performance for traditional closed-set learning with 99.60% accuracy and 0.996 F1 score. The lightweight MobileViT technique attains an almost equivalent accuracy of 98.90% with significantly reduced parameters and model complexities. Next, the applied deep learning models' adaptability and generalizability in a static environment have been enhanced by using new classes of data samples during the inference stage that have not been included in the training set. The proposed framework's ability to handle unseen classes like insects similar to mosquitoes, even humans, through open-set learning further enhances its practical applicability employing the OpenMax technique and Weibull distribution. The traditional CNN model, Xception, outperforms the latest transformer with higher accuracy and F1 score for open-set learning. The study's findings highlight the transformative potential of advanced deep-learning architectures in entomology, providing a strong groundwork for future research and development in mosquito surveillance and vector control. The implications of this work extend beyond mosquito classification, offering valuable insights for broader ecological and environmental monitoring applications.