Applications of video image processing for traffic control systems

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Applications of video image processing for traffic control systems

Ashworth, R. / Darkin, C.G. / Dickinson, K.W. / Hartley, M.G. / Wan, C.L. / Waterfall, R.C.

The collection of traffic data at a fixed point from video images has been shown by several researchers to be feasible under favourable weather and lighting conditions. With these systems, an elevated camera position has been used and data from only selected parts of the total image have been processed so as to allow operation of the system at rates of 50 frames/s or more. The results of various field trials have shown that upwards of 90 % of vehicles were detected and that speeds of individual vehicles could be obtained by image processing to an accuracy of the order of plus/minus 10 %. One of these systems, the TRIP (Traffic Research and Image Processing) System, has been developed by the authors over the past three years with financial support from the UK Transport and Road Research Laboratory. This paper describes briefly the principal features of the TRIP System and discusses the results obtained from field trials carried out under various weather and lighting conditions. Consideration is then given to real-time applications of image processing in relation to traffic surveillance and control systems.