Hierarchical structures for video query systems

Abstract

Video query systems have been used increasingly for both business and personal applications. Many applications for video data involve stationary cameras, resulting in a stable background and moving objects in the foreground. The movements of these objects can be extracted to form lifelines using techniques such as those developed in our lab. Our current task is to organize these lifelines and their attributes in a way that will make them easy to query, even by inexperienced users. In order to accomplish this, we have employed data cubes and other hierarchical measures, as well as new metadata structures. After a brief review of our ongoing work with lifelines, we will discuss these additional components of our query system in more depth. Our comprehensive system has the potential to change the way in which video databases are organized and queried.