Techniques such as SIFT and SURF facilitate efficient and robust image processing operations through the use of sparse and compact spatial feature descriptors and show much potential for defence and security applications. This paper considers the extension of such techniques to include information from the temporal domain, to improve utility in applications involving moving imagery within video data. In particular, the paper demonstrates how spatio-temporal descriptors can be used very effectively as the basis of a target tracking system and as target discriminators which can distinguish between bipeds and quadrupeds. Results using sequences of video imagery of walking humans and dogs are presented, and the relative merits of the approach are discussed.

Date Published: 2 May 2012
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 8391, Automatic Target Recognition XXII, 83910I (2 May 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.919028

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8391:
Automatic Target Recognition XXII
Firooz A. Sadjadi; Abhijit Mahalanobis, Editor(s)