Survey on Dim Small Target Detection in Clutter Background: Wavelet, Inter-Frame and Filter Based Algorithms

AbstractDim small target is an active and important research area in image processing and pattern recognition. Various algorithms have been proposed to detect and track dim small target. This paper reviews some algorithms for dim small target detection, including the wavelet based algorithms, inter-frame difference based algorithms and filter based algorithms. Also, the further development of the technologies has been briefly analyzed

Sea-Surface Object Detection Based on Electro-Optical Sensors: A Review

Sea-surface object detection is critical for navigation safety of autonomous ships. Electrooptical (EO) sensors, such as video cameras, complement radar on board in detecting small obstacle sea-surface objects. Traditionally, researchers have used horizon detection, background subtraction, and foreground segmentation techniques to detect sea-surface objects. Recently, deep learning-based object detection technologies have been gradually applied to sea-surface object detection. This article demonstrates a comprehensive overview of sea-surface object-detection approaches where the advantages and drawbacks of each technique are compared, covering four essential aspects: EO sensors and image types, traditional object-detection methods, deep learning methods, and maritime datasets collection. In particular, sea-surface object detections based on deep learning methods are thoroughly analyzed and compared with highly influential public datasets introduced as benchmarks to verify the effectiveness of these approaches. The arti

Small and Dim Target Detection in IR Imagery: A Review

While there has been significant progress in object detection using conventional image processing and machine learning algorithms, exploring small and dim target detection in the IR domain is a relatively new area of study. The majority of small and dim target detection methods are derived from conventional object detection algorithms, albeit with some alterations. The task of detecting small and dim targets in IR imagery is complex. This is because these targets often need distinct features, the background is cluttered with unclear details, and the IR signatures of the scene can change over time due to fluctuations in thermodynamics. The primary objective of this review is to highlight the progress made in this field. This is the first review in the field of small and dim target detection in infrared imagery, encompassing various methodologies ranging from conventional image processing to cutting-edge deep learning-based approaches. The authors have also introduced a taxonomy of such approaches. There are two main types of approaches: methodologies using several frames for detection, and single-frame-based detection techniques. Single frame-based detection techniques encompass a diverse range of methods, spanning from traditional image processing-based approaches to more advanced deep learning methodologies. Our findings indicate that deep learning approaches perform better than traditional image processing-based approaches. In addition, a comprehensive compilation of various available datasets has also been provided. Furthermore, this review identifies the gaps and limitations in existing techniques, paving the way for future research and development in this area.Comment: Under Revie

Clutter modeling in infrared images using genetic programming

Background clutter characterization in infrared imagery has become an actively researched field, and several clutter models have been reported. These models attempt to evaluate the target detection and recognition probabilities that are characteristic of a certain scene when specific target and human visual perception features are known. The prior knowledge assumed and required by these models is a severe limitation. Furthermore, the attempt to model subjective and intricate mechanisms such as human perception with general mathematical formulas is controversial, in this paper, we introduce the idea of adaptive models that are dynamically derived from a set of examples by a supervised learning mechanism based on genetic programming foundations. A set of characteristic scene and target features with a demonstrated influence on the human visual perception mechanism is first extracted from the original images. Then, the correlations between these features and detection performance results obtained by visual observer tests on the same set of images are captured into models by a learning algorithm. The effectiveness of the adaptive modeling principle is discussed in the final part of the paper

Detection in Aerial Images Using Spatial Transformer Networks

Many tasks in the field of computer vision rely on an underlying change detection algorithm in images or video sequences. Although much research has focused on change detection in consumer images, there is little work related to change detection on aerial imagery, where individual images are recorded from aerial platforms over time. This thesis presents two deep learning approaches for detection in aerial images. Both systems leverage Spatial Transformer Networks (STN) that identify the coordinate transformation for their localization capabilities. The first approach is based on a semisupervised approach which learns to locate changes within a difference image. The second is a fully-supervised approach which learns to locate and discriminate relevant targets. The supervised approach is shown to locate nearly 78% of positive samples with an Intersection Over Union (IOU) criterion of over 0.5, and nearly 94% of positive samples with an IOU over 0.3

Détection de bateaux dans les images de radar à ouverture synthétique

Le but principal de cette thèse est de développer des algorithmes efficaces et de concevoir un système pour la détection de bateaux dans les images Radar à Ouverture Synthetique (ROS.) Dans notre cas, la détection de bateaux implique en premier lieu la détection de cibles de points dans les images ROS. Ensuite, la détection d'un bateau proprement dit dépend des propriétés physiques du bateau lui-même, tel que sa taille, sa forme, sa structure, son orientation relative a la direction de regard du radar et les conditions générales de l'état de la mer. Notre stratégie est de détecter toutes les cibles de bateaux possibles dans les images de ROS, et ensuite de chercher autour de chaque candidat des évidences telle que les sillons. Les objectifs de notre recherche sont (1) d'améliorer 1'estimation des paramètres dans Ie modèle de distribution-K et de déterminer les conditions dans lesquelles un modèle alternatif (Ie Gamma, par exemple) devrait être utilise plutôt; (2) d'explorer Ie modèle PNN (Probabilistic Neural Network) comme une alternative aux modèles paramétriques actuellement utilises; (3) de concevoir un modèle de regroupement flou (FC : Fuzzy Clustering) capable de détecter les petites et grandes cibles de bateaux dans les images a un seul canal ou les images a multi-canaux; (4) de combiner la détection de sillons avec la détection de cibles de bateaux; (5) de concevoir un modèle de détection qui peut être utilisé aussi pour la détection des cibles de bateaux en zones costières.Abstract: The main purpose of this thesis is to develop efficient algorithms and design a system for ship detection from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. Ship detection usually involves through detection of point targets on a radar clutter background.The detection of a ship depends on the physical properties of the ship itself, such as size, shape, and structure; its orientation relative to the radar look-direction; and the general condition of the sea state. Our strategy is to detect all possible ship targets in SAR images, and then search around each candidate for the wake as further evidence.The objectives of our research are (1) to improve estimation of the parameters in the K-distribution model and to determine the conditions in which an alternative model (Gamma, for example) should be used instead; (2) to explore a PNN (Probabilistic Neural Networks) model as an alternative to the commonly used parameteric models; (3) to design a FC (Fuzzy Clustering) model capable of detecting both small and large ship targets from single-channel images or multi-channel images; (4) to combine wake detection with ship target detection; (5) to design a detection model that can also be used to detect ship targets in coastal areas. We have developed algorithms for each of these objectives and integrated them into a system comprising six models.The system has been tested on a number of SAR images (SEASAT, ERS and RADARSAT-1, for example) and its performance has been assessed

Visitor-art interaction by motion path detection

This paper describes a method for video-based motion path detection which is applied in the creation of an interactive artwork. The proposed algorithm, based on the Hough transform, detects parametric motion trajectories in real-time (10 fps). In order to detect people's motion under non-static background object occlusion we have also developed a video segmentation technique. The proposed interaction system adopts top-down camera view to extract spatiotemporal motion trajectories and discern predefined patterns of movement thus enabling the creation of new artistic choreographies. We present test results that illustrate the effectiveness of our method and discuss the practical applicability of our approach in other domains