How can a layman count small objects (walruses) in an image?

Question

Image processing

I am engaged in the study of walruses and we have a huge difficulty with their count on the rookery. Namely, there are about 110,000 of them. We take pictures from a quadrocopter, glue them into a panorama, and then count them manually.

Probably, there are some systems for automated pattern recognition and their counting? Complexity: there are VERY many objects in the image and they are very small and unevenly distributed (some walruses swim, there are parts of the coast where walruses lie very densely, that is, the object visually becomes as if smaller (they overlap their tails and flippers on top of each other).

Are there programs/services where a complete layman in IT can upload a photo and automatically calculate the number?

Answer 1

Use specialized software for analyzing and processing scientific data ImageJ
Here, in examples, how to count the number of cells: https://imagej.net/Particle_Analysis

Answer 2

1. Photoshop: https://helpx.adobe.com/en/photoshop/using/countin...
   
2. Deep learning ("do it yourself" for accuracy): scientificjournal.ru/images/PDF/2017/VNO-29/avtoma...
   
3. Special software (for sure there are many commercial ones): www.microscope-plus.ru/mediacy-ip-premier_count.html