Abstract: The present invention involves a system for automatically screening closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras for large and small scale security systems, as used for example in parking garages. The system includes six primary software elements, each of which performs a unique function within the operation of the security system to provide intelligent camera selection for operators, resulting in a marked decrease of operator fatigue in a CCTV system. Real-time image analysis of video data is performed wherein a single pass of a video frame produces a terrain map which contains parameters indicating the content of the video. Based on the parameters of the terrain map, the system is able to make decisions about which camera an operator should view based on the presence and activity of vehicles and pedestrians, furthermore, discriminating vehicle traffic from pedestrian traffic.

Abstract: Some embodiments include incorporating detailed snapshots of targeted areas of interest into a video or digitized recording of an overall scene. In some embodiments, a single fixed high-resolution scene camera or a fixed standard resolution scene camera of analog or IP connected type is used. The scene camera can be co-located with at least one pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera or used in a mode where less than full resolution of the scene camera is used for video but full resolution snapshots of areas are captured by the same camera. The area of interest is selected by the object-tracking feature of an intelligent video system, operated without human intervention, by electronically-implemented identification of the existence of area-specific subjects or targets of interest in the scene image field.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a non-transitory processor-readable medium stores code representing instructions to cause a processor to smooth a current image of a scene to produce a smoothed image and subtract pixel values of a background image of the scene from corresponding pixel values of the smoothed image to produce an altitude difference image. Pixel values of the altitude difference image are weighted to produce a weighted difference image. The weighted difference image is convolved to produce a convoluted difference image. A threshold is applied to each pixel of the convoluted difference image to produce a thresholded difference image. Pixels having a value less than the threshold are removed from the thresholded difference image and classified as background pixels. Foreground pixels are determined based on the thresholded difference image.