Automated remote car counting

Abstract

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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         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.