Using embedded steganographic identifiers in segmented areas of geographic images and characteristics corresponding to imagery data derived from aerial platforms
View Patent ↗Digital watermarking technology is used in conjunction with map data, such as is acquired by satellite and other aerial sensors. The watermarks are used to track metadata, provide serialization and forensic tracking, help auto-correlate image data, and quilt together related imagery. One aspect of the present invention contemplates that incoming imagery is automatically geo-referenced and combined with previously collected data sets so as to facilitate generation of revised composite maps. Another aspect of the present invention associates geovector information with a photograph via a digital watermark.
1. A method of compiling aerial imagery and generating a map there from comprising:
segmenting image data into a plurality of patches, the image data acquired from an aerial platform;
digitally watermarking the image data to include imagery characteristics corresponding to the image data, wherein said digital watermarking comprises embedding a watermark in each of the plurality of patches, the watermark including imagery characteristics for its respective patch;
correlating the image data based on the imagery characteristics; and
generating a map from the correlated image data.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said correlating step comprises adjusting image characteristics for at least one of the plurality of patches so that at least two adjacently positioned patches have similar imagery characteristics.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said generating step comprises quilting the plurality of patches together to generate the map.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the aerial platform comprises at least one of satellite, airplane, space shuttle, and unmanned aircraft.
5. A method of generating a geo-spatial map comprising:
steganographically encoding data in the form of a digital watermark component in each of a plurality of image patches, said encoded data including a location indicator; and
piecing together the plurality of image patches based at least in pan on the encoded location indicators to provide a geo-spatial map including the plurality of image patches.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the location indicator identifies geo-coordinates of its respective image patch, with each of the plurality of image patches including a unique location identifier representing unique geo-coordinates.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of the location indicators identifies the geo-coordinates for at least one corner of its respective patch.
8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the location indicator identifies a respective patch location relative to the map.
9. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the location indicator identifies a respective patch location within the geo-spatial map relative to at least one adjacent patch.
10. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the location indicator comprises an index, and said method further comprises indexing a database with the index to retrieve location information.
11. A method of correlating imagery data generated under a plurality of different conditions, said method comprising:
embedding imagery characteristics in the imagery data; and
modifying the imagery data based on the embedded imagery characteristics so as to standardize at least some of the imagery data.
12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said conditions comprise at least one aerial platforms, altitude, time, cloud cover, resolution and scale.
13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said imagery characteristics affect a spatial domain representation of the imagery data, said imagery characteristics comprising at least one of scale, rotation, altitude, attitude, resolution, time, imaging device type, and skew.
14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said imagery characteristics comprise an index which is used to identify at least one of scale, rotation, altitude, attitude, resolution, time, imaging device type, and skew.
15. A method of making a map, wherein the map depicts at least a first region and a second region, said method comprising:
obtaining first geolocation information corresponding to at least the first region to be depicted by the map; and
digitally watermarking the first geolocation information in the map, wherein said watermarking step comprises embedding the first geolocation information only in the first region.
16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising obtaining second geolocation information corresponding to at least the second region to be depicted by the map and digitally watermarking the second geolocation information in the map.
17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein said the second geolocation information is only embedded in the second region.
18. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the first region comprises at least one of a fire hydrant, tree, road, building, lake, stream, forest, manhole, water line, gas line, power line, park, property line, fence, boarder, depot, geographical area, stadium, hospital, school, church, store and airport.
19. A method of making a map comprising:
obtaining first geovector information corresponding to at least a first region to be depicted by the map; and
digitally watermarking the first geovector information in the map, wherein said watermarking step comprises digitally watermarking the first geovector information redundantly throughout the map.
20. A method of steganographically marking imagery captured from an aerial platform, said method comprising:
obtaining first geolocation information corresponding to a first region depicted in the imagery captured from the aerial platform;
embedding the first geolocation information in the first region in the form of a digital watermark;
obtaining second geolocation information corresponding to at least a second region depicted in the imagery captured from the aerial platform; and
embedding the second geolocation information in the imagery captured from the aerial platform in the form of a digital watermark.
21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the second geolocation information is embedded only in the second region.
22. A method of steganographically marking imagery captured from an aerial platform, said method comprising:
obtaining first geolocation information corresponding to a first region depicted in the imagery captured from the aerial platform;
embedding the first geolocation information in the imagery captured from the aerial platform in the form of a digital watermark, wherein the first geolocation information is redundantly embedded in the imagery captured from the aerial platform.