Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for automatically inspecting railroad tracks. The method includes assessing a configuration of rail components depicted in an image by comparing the configuration of the rail components to known hazards. The method also includes determining a severity of detected problems in the configuration of the rail components, using a computer processor.

Abstract: A system for automatically acquiring high-resolution images by steering a pan-tilt-zoom camera at targets detected in a fixed camera view is provided. The system uses automatic or manual calibration between multiple cameras. Using automatic calibration, the homography between the cameras in a home position is estimated together with the effects of pan and tilt controls and the expected height of a person in the image. These calibrations are chained together to steer a slave camera. The manual calibration scheme steers a camera to the desired region of interest and calculates the pan, tile and zoom parameters accordingly.

Abstract: A method, information processing system, and computer program storage product annotate video images associated with an environmental situation based on detected actions of a human interacting with the environmental situation. A set of real-time video images are received that are captured by at least one video camera associated with an environment presenting one or more environmental situations to a human. One or more user actions made by the human that is associated with the set of real-time video images with respect to the environmental situation are monitored. A determination is made, based on the monitoring, that the human driver has one of performed and failed to perform at least one action associated with one or more images of the set of real-time video images. The one or more images of the set of real-time video images are annotated with a set of annotations.

Abstract: A method, information processing system, and computer program storage product annotate video images associated with an environmental situation based on detected actions of a human interacting with the environmental situation. A set of real-time video images are received that are captured by at least one video camera associated with an environment presenting one or more environmental situations to a human. One or more user actions made by the human that is associated with the set of real-time video images with respect to the environmental situation are monitored. A determination is made, based on the monitoring, that the human driver has one of performed and failed to perform at least one action associated with one or more images of the set of real-time video images. The one or more images of the set of real-time video images are annotated with a set of annotations.

Abstract: Techniques for performing visual surveillance of one or more moving objects are provided. The techniques include registering one or more images captured by one or more cameras, wherein registering the one or more images comprises region-based registration of the one or more images in two or more adjacent frames, performing motion segmentation of the one or more images to detect one or more moving objects and one or more background regions in the one or more images, and tracking the one or more moving objects to facilitate visual surveillance of the one or more moving objects.

Abstract: Techniques for segmenting an object at a self-checkout are provided. The techniques include capturing an image of an object at a self-checkout, dividing the image into one or more blocks, computing one or more features of the image, computing a confidence value for each of the one or more blocks, wherein computing a confidence value for each of the one or more blocks comprises using a minimum feature distance from one or more reference backgound blocks, and eliminating one or more blocks from consideration via use of an adaptive threshold computed on the confidence value for each of the one or more blocks, wherein the one or more blocks remaining map to a region of the image containing the object.

Abstract: A system and method to detect objects in a digital image. At least one image representing at least one frame of a video sequence is received. A sliding window of different window sizes at different locations is placed in the image. A cascaded classifier including a plurality of increasingly accurate layers is applied to each window size and each location. Each layer includes a plurality of classifiers. An area of the image within a current sliding window is evaluated using one or more weak classifiers in the plurality of classifiers based on at least one of Haar features and Histograms of Oriented Gradients features. An output of each weak classifier is a weak decision as to whether the area of the image includes an instance of an object of a desired object type. A location of the zero or more images associated with the desired object type is identified.

Abstract: A system and method to detect objects in a digital image. At least one image representing at least one frame of a video sequence is received. A given color channel of the image is extracted. At least one blob that stands out from a background of the given color channel is identified. One or more features are extracted from the blob. The one or more features are provided to a plurality of pre-learned object models each including a set of pre-defined features associated with a pre-defined blob type. The one or more features are compared to the set of pre-defined features. The blob is determined to be of a type that substantially matches a pre-defined blob type associated with one of the pre-learned object models. At least a location of an object is visually indicated within the image that corresponds to the blob.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for the certification of privacy compliance. The apparatus includes a registry of at least one of enrolled video surveillance operators, approved surveillance hardware devices, approved surveillance software programs, approved surveillance system installers, and approved entities that manage surveillance systems. The apparatus further includes a registry searcher, in signal communication with the registry, for receiving queries to the registry, and for determining whether at least one of a particular surveillance operator, a particular surveillance hardware device, a particular surveillance software program, a particular surveillance system installer, and a particular entity that manages a particular surveillance system is on the registry based on a given query.

Abstract: A system and method for intelligently controlling headlights receive a multiplicity of images that represent frames of a video sequence of an external environment of a vehicle. At least one bright spot, or blob, is found that stands out from a dark background of the external environment within each frame of the multiplicity of images. A multiplicity of features is extracted from a found blob. A type is recognized of a found blob that is selected from a multiplicity of types of blobs. A determination is then made whether to turn on a high beam light or a low beam light based at least on the recognized type of the found blob and a set of rules. Finally, an action based on such decision is performed.

Abstract: A system for automatically acquiring high-resolution images by steering a pan-tilt-zoom camera at targets detected in a fixed camera view is provided. The system uses automatic or manual calibration between multiple cameras. Using automatic calibration, the homography between the cameras in a home position is estimated together with the effects of pan and tilt controls and the expected height of a person in the image. These calibrations are chained together to steer a slave camera. The manual calibration scheme steers a camera to the desired region of interest and calculates the pan, tile and zoom parameters accordingly.

Abstract: A system for automatically acquiring high-resolution images by steering a pan-tilt-zoom camera at targets detected in a fixed camera view is provided. The system uses automatic or manual calibration between multiple cameras. Using automatic calibration, the homography between the cameras in a home position is estimated together with the effects of pan and tilt controls and the expected height of a person in the image. These calibrations are chained together to steer a slave camera. The manual calibration scheme steers a camera to the desired region of interest and calculates the pan, tile and zoom parameters accordingly.

Abstract: A system and method to estimate the absolute coarse pose of a rigid body, and more specifically of an individual's head as captured by overhead wide-angle cameras, by integrating position and pose information. Position information ideally includes three-dimensional position information provided by range finders or derived from images captured by multiple cameras. The three-dimensional position information can additionally be employed to determine the anchored viewing ray for the object.

Abstract: The system and method obscures descriptive image information about one or more images. The system comprises a selector for selecting the descriptive image information from one or more of the images, a transformer that transforms the descriptive information into a transformed state, and an authorizer that provides authorization criteria with the image. In a preferred embodiment, the transformed state is the respective image encoded with the descriptive information. The descriptive information can be obscured so that the descriptive information in the transformed state can be decoded only if one or more authorization inputs satisfy the authorization criteria.

Abstract: A system for automatically acquiring high-resolution images by steering a pan-tilt-zoom camera at targets detected in a fixed camera view is provided. The system uses automatic or manual calibration between multiple cameras. Using automatic calibration, the homography between the cameras in a home position is estimated together with the effects of pan and tilt controls and the expected height of a person in the image. These calibrations are chained together to steer a slave camera. The manual calibration scheme steers a camera to the desired region of interest and calculates the pan, tile and zoom parameters accordingly.

Abstract: A novel system and method of treating the output of moving cameras, in particular ones that enable the application of conventional “static camera” algorithms, e.g., to enable the continuous vigilance of computer surveillance technology to be applied to moving cameras that cover a wide area. According to the invention, a single camera is deployed to cover an area that might require many static cameras and a corresponding number of processing units. A novel system for processing the main video sufficiently enables long-term change detection, particularly the observation that a static object has been moved or has appeared, for instance detecting the parking and departure of vehicles in a parking lot, the arrival of trains in stations, delivery of goods, arrival and dispersal of people, or any other application.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for the certification of privacy compliance. The apparatus includes a registry of at least one of enrolled video surveillance operators, approved surveillance hardware devices, approved surveillance software programs, approved surveillance system installers, and approved entities that manage surveillance systems. The apparatus further includes a registry searcher, in signal communication with the registry, for receiving queries to the registry, and for determining whether at least one of a particular surveillance operator, a particular surveillance hardware device, a particular surveillance software program, a particular surveillance system installer, and a particular entity that manages a particular surveillance system is on the registry based on a given query.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus, method, and program storage device for representing biometrics. The apparatus includes a biometric feature extractor and a transformer. The biometric feature extractor is for extracting features corresponding to a biometric depicted in an image, and for defining one or more sets of one or more geometric shapes by one or more of the features. Each of the one or more geometric shapes has one or more geometric features that is invariant with respect to a first set of transforms applied to at least a portion of the image. The transformer is for applying the first set of transforms to the at least a portion of the image to obtain one or more feature representations that include one or more of the one or more geometric features, and for applying a second set of transforms to the one or more feature representations to obtain one or more transformed feature representations.

Abstract: Techniques are presented for controlling views of plurality of imaging units, where each imaging unit outputs a feed comprising video. A set of parameters are determined, and the set of parameters defines a given selected view of a region able to be visually covered by the plurality of imaging units. The given selected view is one of a plurality of predetermined selected views of the region. Each of the plurality of selected views corresponds to a portion of the region and to one or more of the imaging units able to visually cover the portion of the region. Further, each selected view is defined by a corresponding set of parameters. It is determined which of the one or more feeds correspond to the given selected view, and the one or more feeds that correspond to the given selected view are output.

Abstract: A system and method for assuring a high resolution image of an object, such as the face of a person, passing through a targeted space are provided. Both stationary and active or pan-tilt-zoom cameras are utilized. The at least one stationary camera acts as a trigger point such that when a person passes through a predefined targeted area of the at least one stationary camera, the system is triggered for object imaging and tracking. Upon the occurrence of a triggering event in the system, the system predicts the motion and position of the person. Based on this predicted position of the person, an active camera that is capable of obtaining an image of the predicted position is selected and may be controlled to focus its image capture area on the predicted position of the person. After the active camera control and image capture processes, the system evaluates the quality of the captured face images and reports the result to the security agents and interacts with the user.