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A high-performance approach to detecting small targets in long-range low-quality infrared videos

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Abstract

Since targets are small in long-range infrared (IR) videos, it is challenging to accurately detect targets in those videos. In this paper, we propose a high-performance approach to detecting small targets in long-range and low-quality infrared videos. Our approach consists of a video resolution enhancement module, a proven small target detector based on local intensity and gradient (LIG), a connected component (CC) analysis module, and a track association module known as Simple Online and Real-time Tracking (SORT) to connect detections from multiple frames. Extensive experiments using actual mid-wave infrared (MWIR) videos in range between 3500 and 5000 m from a benchmark dataset clearly demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed approach. In the 5000 m case, the F1 score has been improved from 0.936 without SORT to 0.977 with SORT.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by US government PPP program. The views, opinions and/or findings expressed are those of the author(s) and should not be interpreted as representing the official views or the U.S. Government.

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  1. Applied Research LLC, Rockville, MD, USA

    Chiman Kwan & Bence Budavari

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  1. Chiman Kwan
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  2. Bence Budavari
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Correspondence to Chiman Kwan.

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Kwan, C., Budavari, B. A high-performance approach to detecting small targets in long-range low-quality infrared videos. SIViP 16, 93–101 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11760-021-01970-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11760-021-01970-x

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