Ground truth annotation of traffic video data

• Published in: Multimedia tools and applications Vol. 70; no. 1; pp. 461 - 474
• Main Authors: Mossi, Jose M., Albiol, Antonio, Albiol, Alberto, Oliver, Javier
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.05.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algorithms; Analysis; Annotations; Automotive wheels; Cameras; Computer Communication Networks; Computer programs; Computer Science; Data Structures and Information Theory; Datasets; Digital video; Intelligent systems; Interfaces; Keyboards; Lanes; Laptop; Multimedia Information Systems; Performance evaluation; Software; Space shuttles; Special Purpose and Application-Based Systems; Studies; Surveillance; Traffic; Traffic congestion; Traffic engineering; Traffic flow; Transportation; Vehicles; Vehicle; Ground truth; Video; Intelligent transportation systems; Traffic
• ISSN: 1380-7501; 1573-7721
• DOI: 10.1007/s11042-013-1396-x

This paper presents a software application to generate ground-truth data on video files from traffic surveillance cameras used for Intelligent Transportation Systems (IT systems). The computer vision system to be evaluated counts the number of vehicles that cross a line per time unit –intensity-, the average speed and the occupancy. The main goal of the visual interface presented in this paper is to be easy to use without the requirement of any specific hardware. It is based on a standard laptop or desktop computer and a Jog shuttle wheel. The setup is efficient and comfortable because one hand of the annotating person is almost all the time on the space key of the keyboard while the other hand is on the jog shuttle wheel. The mean time required to annotate a video file ranges from 1 to 5 times its duration (per lane) depending on the content. Compared to general purpose annotation tool a time factor gain of about 7 times is achieved.