Airborne traffic surveillance systems-video surveillance of highway traffic.pdf

Airborne Traffic Surveillance Systems - Video Surveillance of Highway Traffic Suman Srinivasan Dept. Elec. Engg. University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 +1-352-392-2584 sumans@ Haniph Latchman Dept. Elec. Engg. University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 +1-352-392-4950 latchman@ John Shea Dept. Elec. Engg. University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 +1-352-846-3042 jshea@ Tan Wong Dept. Elec. Engg. University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 +1-352-392-2665 twong@ Janice McNair Dept. Elec. Engg. University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 +1-352-392-2629 mcnair@ ABSTRACT Timely information about highway traffic conditions is very important for the Department of Transportation (DOT) and other relevant agencies. Such live information would be very important when traffic incidents or accidents occur. An aerial view is the best for traffic situations, particularly over highways. Unmanned aircraft equipped with video cameras and/or other sensors may be able to deliver the necessary information through video images with relatively low operational costs and risks to human life. ATSS (Airborne Traffic Surveillance System), a project funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, attempts to make this vision a reality. This paper describes how the University of Florida research team implemented a system for ATSS from the ground up, using unmanned aerial vehicles, digital video encoding, and transmission of data and multimedia video streams over FDOT’s microwave IP networks. Categories and Subject Descriptors J.1 [Computer Applications]: Administrative Data Processing – government, law, military. General Terms Algorithms, Management, Measurement, Design, Reliability, Security, Legal Aspect. Keywords Traffic, video surveillance, transportation, roadways, highways, video switching, unmanned aerial vehicle, multimedia streaming. 1. TRAFFIC MONITORING AND UAVS The Department of Transportation (DOT) and many