System for tracking and visualizing objects and a method therefor

Abstract

A system includes a first database and a server arrangement that obtains data from a plurality of sensors arranged in a surveillance area. The server arrangement transforms source coordinates of an image plane from a first reference system to corresponding coordinates in a map plane in a second reference system for calculating a new geospatial location of the object to be tracked. The server arrangement determines a change in a geospatial location and a change in a state of an object based on geospatial location of object to be tracked in the surveillance area. The change in the state of the object is further determined based on a history of geospatial locations visited by the object. The server arrangement determines a motion and an action pattern of the object based on the change in the geospatial location and the change in the state of the object.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system that tracks and visualizes objects in a surveillance area, the system comprising:
 a first database; and   a server arrangement that comprises a processor configured to:
 obtain data from a plurality of sensors arranged in the surveillance area; 
 extract features from the obtained data and compare the extracted features with features of previously-identified objects stored in the first database; 
 acquire, from the first database, a unique object identity, an object class, and a last-known geospatial location for an object to be tracked in the surveillance area; 
 provide the object class specific mapping coordinates specifying pixel coordinates within an object's bounding box in an image plane to determine source coordinates to be mapped onto a map plane; 
 transform the source coordinates of the image plane from a first reference system to corresponding coordinates in the map plane in a second reference system for calculating a new geospatial location of the object to be tracked in the surveillance area; 
 determine a change in a geospatial location and a change in a state of the object based on the geospatial location of the object to be tracked in the surveillance area, wherein the change in the state of the object is further determined based on a history of geospatial locations visited by the object; and 
 determine a motion and an action pattern of the object based on the change in the geospatial location and the change in the state of the object in the surveillance area. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the determined motion and action pattern of the object is indicative of a first location from where the object came, a second location indicating where the object went, and information indicating what the object did within the surveillance area. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to associate the motion and the action pattern of the object with the unique object identity of the object. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 identify objects in the surveillance area based on the extracted features from the obtained data; and   generate graphical representations for a virtual environment based on historic statistical data of motion patterns and action patterns of the identified objects in the surveillance area.   
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to compare a unique object identity of each of the identified objects in the surveillance area with each wanted entity in a list of wanted entities, wherein the list of wanted entities is provided in a second database communicatively coupled with the server arrangement. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine if the unique object identity for any of the identified objects in the surveillance area matches with one or more wanted entities in the list of wanted entities. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate a virtual representation of the object with the determined unique object identity matching with the one or more wanted entities in the list of wanted entities. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate an alert if the determined unique object identity for any of the identified objects in the surveillance area matches with the one or more wanted entities in the list of wanted entities. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to select an area of interest from the surveillance area based on a user input. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to provide an access to the selected area of interest from the surveillance area to a user device based on a designation of a user of the user device, and wherein the user device is associated with a user interface that allows a user of the user device to generate the user input to search for the area of interest or one or more properties associated with a particular object in order to determine a current location thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 acquire sounds in the surveillance area from a microphone arrangement, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises the microphone arrangement;   analyze the acquired sounds for a presence of one or more of predetermined keywords and content therein, from a set of predetermined keywords and contents; and   calculate a point of origin of the acquired sounds in the surveillance area related with the presence of the one or more of predetermined keywords and the content therein based on a direction thereof with respect to the microphone arrangement.   
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate a virtual representation of the object associated with the acquired sounds related with the presence of the one or more of predetermined keywords and the content therein, with the calculated point of origin being the geospatial location for the object. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the acquired data from the plurality of sensors to extract auxiliary information pertaining to objects in the surveillance area, and wherein the auxiliary information comprises one or more of: a shape of the object, a gender of the object, a size of the object, and a color of the object. 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the processor is further configured to modulate the virtual representation of the object to be tracked based on the extracted auxiliary information. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 identify objects in the surveillance area based on the extracted features from the obtained data;   segment each of the identified objects to be represented in a box; and   geo-reference each of the identified objects in an image plane to a ground plane based on the segmentation.   
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine a point in the box representing a spatial depth of a given identified object within the box. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate a virtual representation of the surveillance area based on the change in the geospatial location and the motion or the action pattern of the object. 
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate graphical representations for the virtual environment based on historic statistical data of the motion patterns and action patterns of identified objects in the surveillance area. 
     
     
         19 . A system that tracks and visualizes objects in a surveillance area, the system comprising:
 a first database; and   a server arrangement that comprises a processor configured to:
 obtain data from a plurality of sensors arranged in the surveillance area; 
 determine a change in a geospatial location and a change in a state of an object to be tracked in the surveillance area, wherein the change in the state of the object is further determined based on a history of geospatial locations visited by the object; 
 determine a motion and an action pattern of the object based on the change in the geospatial location and the change in the state of the object in the surveillance area; 
 generate a virtual representation of the surveillance area indicating a movement of the object within the surveillance area based on the change in the geospatial location and the motion or the action pattern of the object; 
 acquire sounds in the surveillance area from a microphone arrangement, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises the microphone arrangement; 
 analyze the acquired sounds for a presence of one or more of predetermined keywords from a set of predetermined keywords; 
 calculate a point of origin of the acquired sounds in the surveillance area related with the presence of the one or more of predetermined keywords based on a direction thereof with respect to the microphone arrangement; and 
 generate a virtual representation of the object associated with the acquired sounds related with the presence of the one or more of predetermined keywords in the generated virtual representation of the surveillance area, with the calculated point of origin being the geospatial location for the object. 
   
     
     
         20 . A computer implemented method for tracking and visualizing objects in a surveillance area, the method comprising:
 obtaining data from a plurality of sensors arranged in the surveillance area;   extracting features from the obtained data and comparing the extracted features with features of previously-identified objects stored in the first database;   acquiring, from the first database, a unique object identity, an object class, and a last-known geospatial location for an object to be tracked in the surveillance area;   determining a change in a geospatial location and a change in a state of the object based on the geospatial location of the object to be tracked in the surveillance area, wherein the change in the state of the object is further determined based on a history of geospatial locations visited by the object;   determining a motion and an action pattern of the object based on the change in the geospatial location and the change in the state of the object in the surveillance area;   generating a virtual representation of the surveillance area based on the change in the geospatial location and the motion or the action pattern of the object; and   generate graphical representations for the virtual environment based on historic statistical data of the motion patterns and action patterns of one or more identified objects in the surveillance area.