Automated remote car counting

1. A system for automated remote car counting and movement detection, 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 velocity 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;

(g) iterating steps (a)-(f) until no unprocessed images corresponding to areas of interest remain;

(h) computing a difference layer from the image processing in steps (a)-(f); and

(i) computing a movement estimate based at least in part on at least a portion of the difference layer and at least in part on a known time value associated with at least a portion of the processed images.

2. A method of automatically counting cars and determining their movement, 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;

(h) iterating steps (a)-(f) until no unprocessed images corresponding to areas of interest remain;

(i) computing a difference layer based at least in part on at least a portion of the images processed in steps (a)-(f); and

(j) computing a movement estimate based at least in part on at least a portion of the difference layer and at least in part on a known time value associated with at least a portion of the processed images.