Automated remote car counting
View Patent ↗A system for automated car counting comprises a satellite-based image collection subsystem; a data storage subsystem; and an analysis software module stored and operating on a computer coupled to the data storage subsystem. The satellite-based image collection subsystem collects images corresponding to a plurality of areas of interest and stores them in the data storage subsystem. The analysis module: (a) retrieves images corresponding to an area of interest from the data storage subsystem; (b) identifies a parking space in an image; (c) determines if there is a car located in the parking space; (d) determines a location, size, and angular direction of a car in a parking space; (e) determines an amount of overlap of a car with an adjacent parking space; (f) iterates steps (b)-(e) until no unprocessed parking spaces remain; and (g) iterates steps (a)-(f) until no unprocessed images corresponding to areas of interest remain.
1. A system for automated remote car counting, the system comprising:
a satellite-based image collection subsystem;
a data storage subsystem comprising a database of images obtained from the satellite-based image collection subsystem; and
an analysis software module stored and operating on computer coupled to the data storage subsystem;
wherein the satellite-based image collection subsystem collects a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality areas of interest and stores them in the data storage subsystem; and
wherein the analysis module carries out the following steps to compute the number of cars in an area of interest:
(a) retrieving an image corresponding to an area of interest from the data storage subsystem;
(b) identifying a parking space in the image;
(c) determining if there is a car located in the parking space;
(d) determining location, size, and angular direction of a car in a parking space;
(e) determining an amount of overlap of a car with an adjacent parking space;
(f) iterating steps (b)-(e) until no unprocessed parking spaces remain; and
(g) iterating steps (a)-(f) until no unprocessed images corresponding to areas of interest remain.
2. A method of automatically counting cars, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) retrieving, using a satellite-based image collection subsystem, a plurality of images and storing them in a data storage subsystem;
(b) retrieving, using an analysis software module stored and operating on computer coupled to the data storage subsystem, an image corresponding to an area of interest from the data storage subsystem;
(c) identifying, using the analysis software module, a parking space in the image;
(d) determining if there is a car located in the parking space;
(e) determining a location, size, and angular direction of a car in a parking space;
(f) determining an amount of overlap of a car with an adjacent parking space;
(g) iterating steps (b)-(e) until no unprocessed parking spaces remain; and
(h) iterating steps (a)-(f) until no unprocessed images corresponding to areas of interest remain.