Extended Object Tracking: Introduction, Overview and Applications

This article provides an elaborate overview of current research in extended object tracking. We provide a clear definition of the extended object tracking problem and discuss its delimitation to other types of object tracking. Next, different aspects of extended object modelling are extensively discussed. Subsequently, we give a tutorial introduction to two basic and well used extended object tracking approaches - the random matrix approach and the Kalman filter-based approach for star-convex shapes. The next part treats the tracking of multiple extended objects and elaborates how the large number of feasible association hypotheses can be tackled using both Random Finite Set (RFS) and Non-RFS multi-object trackers. The article concludes with a summary of current applications, where four example applications involving camera, X-band radar, light detection and ranging (lidar), red-green-blue-depth (RGB-D) sensors are highlighted.Comment: 30 pages, 19 figure

Biometric Systems

Because of the accelerating progress in biometrics research and the latest nation-state threats to security, this book's publication is not only timely but also much needed. This volume contains seventeen peer-reviewed chapters reporting the state of the art in biometrics research: security issues, signature verification, fingerprint identification, wrist vascular biometrics, ear detection, face detection and identification (including a new survey of face recognition), person re-identification, electrocardiogram (ECT) recognition, and several multi-modal systems. This book will be a valuable resource for graduate students, engineers, and researchers interested in understanding and investigating this important field of study

Enhancing satellite trail detection in night sky imagery with automatic salience thresholding

1 online resource (ix, 81 pages) : illustrations (some colour), charts (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-81).This study proposes a novel automatic thresholding method called Automatic Salience Thresholding (AST) for creating binary masks for detecting satellite streaks in night sky imagery. The approach utilizes a combination of Gaussian filtering, a salience-based thresholding technique, shape-based morphological filtering and line detection using Probabilistic Hough Transformations to identify the satellite trail in the image. We evaluated our method on diverse datasets of night sky images containing satellite trails in varying lighting conditions. The results show that AST outperforms the compared methods when tested with several performance metrics. The proposed AST method was also used to generate annotated binary masks for Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image data with promising results

Maneuvering Star-Convex Extended Target Tracking Based on Modified Expected- Mode Augmentation Algorithm

In utilizing a variable-structure multiple-model (VSMM) algorithm for kinematic state estimation, the core step is the model set design. This study aims to refine the existing expected-mode augmentation (EMA) algorithm, a method of model set design. First, the OTSU algorithm is employed to determine an adaptive threshold, which in turn allows for a reasonable partition of the basic model set. Next, a subset of possible models is preserved, reactivating models adjacent to the one with the highest prediction probability, eliminating improbable models, and yielding an augmented expected mode. Additionally, the study leverages the translation properties of radial functions and inverse trigonometric function formulas to derive a maneuvering model for star- convex extended targets under uniformly accelerated conditions. In order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and the validity of the established maneuvering model, simulation experiments were carried out in both fixed and random scenarios. The proposed algorithm demonstrates improved performance when compared to the interactive multiple-model algorithm and the unmodified EMA algorithm

A new Measure for Optimization of Field Sensor Network with Application to LiDAR

This thesis proposes a solution to the problem of modeling and optimizing the field sensor network in terms of the coverage performance. The term field sensor is referred to a class of sensors which can detect the regions in 2D/3D spaces through non-contact measurements. The most widely used field sensors include cameras, LiDAR, ultrasonic sensor, and RADAR, etc. The key challenge in the applications of field sensor networks, such as area coverage, is to develop an effective performance measure, which has to involve both sensor and environment parameters. The nature of space distribution in the case of the field sensor incurs a great deal of difficulties for such development and, hence, poses it as a very interesting research problem. Therefore, to tackle this problem, several attempts have been made in the literature. However, they have failed to address a comprehensive and applicable approach to distinctive types of field sensors (in 3D), as only coverage of a particular sensor is usually addressed at the time. In addition, no coverage model has been proposed yet for some types of field sensors such as LiDAR sensors. In this dissertation, a coverage model is obtained for the field sensors based on the transformation of sensor and task parameters into the sensor geometric model. By providing a mathematical description of the sensor’s sensing region, a performance measure is introduced which characterizes the closeness between a single sensor and target configurations. In this regard, the first contribution is developing an Infinity norm based measure which describes the target distance to the closure of the sensing region expressed by an area-based approach. The second contribution can be geometrically interpreted as mapping the sensor’s sensing region to an n-ball using a homeomorphism map and developing a performance measure. The third contribution is introducing the measurement principle and establishing the coverage model for the class of solid-state (flash) LiDAR sensors. The fourth contribution is point density analysis and developing the coverage model for the class of mechanical (prism rotating mechanism) LiDAR sensors. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed coverage model is illustrated by simulations, experiments, and comparisons is carried out throughout the dissertation. This coverage model is a powerful tool as it applies to the variety of field sensors

Machine Learning in Sensors and Imaging

Machine learning is extending its applications in various fields, such as image processing, the Internet of Things, user interface, big data, manufacturing, management, etc. As data are required to build machine learning networks, sensors are one of the most important technologies. In addition, machine learning networks can contribute to the improvement in sensor performance and the creation of new sensor applications. This Special Issue addresses all types of machine learning applications related to sensors and imaging. It covers computer vision-based control, activity recognition, fuzzy label classification, failure classification, motor temperature estimation, the camera calibration of intelligent vehicles, error detection, color prior model, compressive sensing, wildfire risk assessment, shelf auditing, forest-growing stem volume estimation, road management, image denoising, and touchscreens

Adaptive Douglas-Peucker Algorithm With Automatic Thresholding for AIS-Based Vessel Trajectory Compression

Automatic identification system (AIS) is an important part of perfecting terrestrial networks, radar systems and satellite constellations. It has been widely used in vessel traffic service system to improve navigational safety. Following the explosion in vessel AIS data, the issues of data storing, processing, and analysis arise as emerging research topics in recent years. Vessel trajectory compression is used to eliminate the redundant information, preserve the key features, and simplify information for further data mining, thus correspondingly improving data quality and guaranteeing accurate measurement for ensuring navigational safety. It is well known that trajectory compression quality significantly depends on the threshold selection. We propose an Adaptive Douglas-Peucker (ADP) algorithm with automatic thresholding for AIS-based vessel trajectory compression. In particular, the optimal threshold is adaptively calculated using a novel automatic threshold selection method for each trajectory, as an improvement and complement of original Douglas-Peucker (DP) algorithm. It is developed based on the channel and trajectory characteristics, segmentation framework, and mean distance. The proposed method is able to simplify vessel trajectory data and extract useful information effectively. The time series trajectory classification and clustering are discussed and analysed based on ADP algorithm in this paper. To verify the reasonability and effectiveness of the proposed method, experiments are conducted on two different trajectory data sets in inland waterway of Yangtze River for trajectory classification based on the nearest neighbor classifier, and for trajectory clustering based on the spectral clustering. Comprehensive results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can reduce the computational cost while ensuring the clustering and classification accuracy