Multi-mode video event indexing

1. A method for multi-mode video event indexing, the method comprising:

applying background subtraction via a programmable hardware device to a video stream input to detect foreground object activity as a difference between current frame image information and static information of a contextual background of video input images from the video stream input;

determining a level of the detected foreground object activity with respect to the video input images from the video stream input;

selecting from a plurality of video analytics modes and applying an object tracking-based analytic mode via a hardware device to the detected foreground object activity of the video input images to track a foreground object, in response to the determined level of detected quality of the detected foreground object activity meeting a threshold level of quality;

selecting from the plurality of video analytics modes and applying a non-object tracking-based analytic mode to the detected foreground object activity of the video input images via a hardware device to determine object movement from extracted foreground object appearance attributes without tracking the foreground object, in response to the determined level of detected quality of the detected foreground object activity not meeting the threshold level of quality; and

writing results of the tracking the foreground object and the object movement determination from the extracted foreground object appearance attributes to an index.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the level of the detected foreground object activity comprises:

determining a density of the foreground relative to an entirety of the image; and

wherein the threshold level of activity is a density value.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the selecting the object tracking-based mode further comprises:

determining if a first density of the foreground relative to the entirety of the image is greater than or equal to the threshold density value at a first time;

determining if a second density of the foreground relative to the entirety of the image is less than a minimum value that is less than the threshold density value at a second time subsequent to the first time;

determining an elapsed time between the first and the second times;

comparing the elapsed time to a stability time period; and

selecting the object tracking-based mode if the elapsed time is less than the stability time period.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the selecting the object tracking-based mode further comprises:

determining a time duration that the density of the foreground is greater than or equal to the threshold level of activity;

comparing the time duration to a specified time period;

selecting the object tracking-based mode if the time duration is less than the specified time period.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the density of the foreground is an average of a plurality of individual densities over the specified time period.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

determining the average of the plurality of individual densities over the specified time period by weighting a more recent density higher than an older density.

7. A computer system for multi-mode video event indexing, the computer system comprising:

a processing unit, computer-readable memory and a computer-readable storage system;

fourth program instructions to apply background subtraction to a video stream input to detect foreground object activity as a difference between current frame image information and static information of a contextual background of video input images from the video stream input;

first program instructions to determine the quality of object distinctiveness by determining a level of the detected foreground object activity with respect to the video input images from the video stream input;

second program instructions to select from a plurality of video analytics modes and apply an object tracking-based mode to the detected foreground object activity of the video input to track a foreground object, in response to the determined level of detected quality of object distinctiveness meeting a threshold level of quality;

third program instructions to select from the plurality of video analytics modes and apply a non-object tracking-based to the detected foreground object activity of the video input images to determine object movement from extracted foreground object appearance attributes without tracking the foreground object, in response to the determined level of detected quality of the detected foreground object activity not meeting the threshold level of quality; and

fifth program instructions to write results of the tracking the foreground object and the object movement determination from the extracted foreground object appearance attributes to an index; and

wherein the first, second, third, fourth and fifth program instructions are stored on the computer-readable storage system for execution by the processing unit via the computer-readable memory.

8. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein the first program instructions are further to determine the level of the detected foreground object activity as a density of the foreground relative to an entirety of the image; and

wherein the threshold level of activity is a density value.

9. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the second program instructions are to select and apply the object tracking-based mode by:

determining a time duration that the density of the foreground is greater than or equal to the threshold level of activity;

comparing the time duration to a specified time period; and

selecting the object tracking-based mode if the time duration is less than the specified time period.

10. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the second program instructions are to select and apply the object tracking-based mode by:

determining if a first density of the foreground relative to the entirety of the image is greater than or equal to the threshold density value at a first time;

determining if a second density of the foreground relative to the entirety of the image is less than a minimum value that is less than the threshold density value at a second time subsequent to the first time;

determining an elapsed time between the first and the second times;

comparing the elapsed time to a stability time period; and

selecting the object tracking-based mode in response to determining that the elapsed time is less than the stability time period.

11. The computer system of claim 10 , wherein the second program instructions are further to determine the density of the foreground as an average of a plurality of individual densities over the specified time period.

12. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the second program instructions are further to determine the average of the plurality of individual densities over the specified time period by weighting a more recent density higher than an older density.

13. A computer program product for multi-mode video event indexing, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable tangible storage device having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer processing unit, cause the computer processing unit to:

apply background subtraction to a video stream input to detect foreground object activity as a difference between current frame image information and static information of a contextual background of video input images from the video stream input;

determine a level of the detected foreground object activity with respect to the video input images from the video stream input;

select from a plurality of video analytics modes and apply an object tracking-based analytic mode to the detected foreground object activity of the video input images to track a foreground object, in response to the determined level of detected quality of the detected foreground object activity meeting a threshold level of quality;

select from the plurality of video analytics modes and apply a non-object tracking-based analytic mode to the detected foreground object activity of the video input images to determine object movement from extracted foreground object appearance attributes without tracking the foreground object, in response to the determined level of detected quality of the detected foreground object activity not meeting the threshold level of quality; and

write results of the tracking of the foreground object and the object movement determination from the extracted foreground object appearance attributes to an index.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to determine the level of the detected foreground object activity by determining a density of the foreground relative to an entirety of the image; and

wherein the threshold level of activity is a density value.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to select the object tracking-based mode in response to:

determining if a first density of the foreground relative to the entirety of the image is greater than or equal to the threshold density value at a first time;

determining if a second density of the foreground relative to the entirety of the image is less than a minimum value that is less than the threshold density value at a second time subsequent to the first time;

determining an elapsed time between the first and the second times;

comparing the elapsed time to a stability time period; and

selecting the object tracking-based mode in response to determining that the elapsed time is less than the stability time period.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to select the object tracking-based mode by:

determining a time duration that the density of the foreground is greater than or equal to the threshold level of activity;

comparing the time duration to a specified time period;

selecting the object tracking-based mode in response to determining that the time duration is less than the specified time period.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to determine the density of the foreground as an average of a plurality of individual densities over the specified time period.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to determine the average of the plurality of individual densities over the specified time period by weighting a more recent density higher than an older density.

19. A method of providing a service for multi-mode video event indexing, the method comprising:

integrating computer-readable program code into a computer system comprising a processing unit, a computer-readable memory and a computer-readable tangible storage device;

wherein the computer-readable program code is embodied on the computer-readable tangible storage device and comprises instructions that, when executed by the processing unit via the computer-readable memory, cause the processing unit to:

apply background subtraction to a video stream input to detect foreground object activity as a difference between current frame image information and static information of a contextual background of video input images from the video stream input;

determine a level of the detected foreground object activity with respect to the video input images from the video stream input;

select from a plurality of video analytics modes and apply an object tracking-based analytic mode to the detected foreground object activity of the video input images to track a foreground object, in response to the determined level of detected quality of the detected foreground object activity meeting a threshold level of quality;

select from the plurality of video analytics modes and apply a non-object tracking-based analytic mode to the detected foreground object activity of the video input images to determine object movement from extracted foreground object appearance attributes without tracking the foreground object, in response to the determined level of detected quality of the detected foreground object activity not meeting the threshold level of quality; and

write results of the tracking of the foreground object and the object movement determination from the extracted foreground object appearance attributes to an index.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to determine the level of the detected foreground object activity by determining a density of the foreground relative to an entirety of the image; and

wherein the threshold level of activity is a density value.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to select the object tracking-based mode in response to:

determining if a first density of the foreground relative to the entirety of the image is greater than or equal to the threshold density value at a first time;

determining if a second density of the foreground relative to the entirety of the image is less than a minimum value that is less than the threshold density value at a second time subsequent to the first time;

determining an elapsed time between the first and the second times;

comparing the elapsed time to a stability time period; and

selecting the object tracking-based mode in response to determining that the elapsed time is less than the stability time period.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to select the object tracking-based mode by:

determining a time duration that the density of the foreground is greater than or equal to the threshold level of activity;

comparing the time duration to a specified time period;

selecting the object tracking-based mode in response to determining that the time duration is less than the specified time period.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to determine the density of the foreground as an average of a plurality of individual densities over the specified time period.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the computer-readable program code instructions, when executed by the computer processing unit, further cause the computer processing unit to determine the average of the plurality of individual densities over the specified time period by weighting a more recent density higher than an older density.