A new software/hardware architecture for real time image processing of wide area airborne camera images

This paper describes a new software/hardware architecture for processing wide area airborne camera images in real time. The images under consideration are acquired from the 3K-camera system developed at DLR (German Aerospace Center). It consists of three off-the-shelf cameras, each of it delivers 16 Mpixel three times a second. One camera is installed in nadir, whereas the other two cameras are looking in side direction. Main applications of our system are supposed to be automotive traffic monitoring, determining the workload of public road networks during mass events, or obtaining a survey of damages in disaster areas in real time. Altogether, this demands a fast image processing system on the aircraft, because the amount of original high resolution images can not be sent to ground by up-to-date transfer mode systems. The on-board image processing system is distributed over a local network. On each PC several modules are running concurrently. In order to synchronize several processes and to assure access to commonly used data, a new distributed middleware for real time image processing is introduced. Two sophisticated modules one for orthorectification of images and one for traffic monitoring are explained in more detail. The orthorectification and mosaicking is executed on the fast graphics processing unit on one PC, whereas the traffic monitoring module runs on another PC in the on-board network. The resulting image data and evaluated traffic parameters are sent to a ground station in near real time and are distributed to the involved users. Thus, with the here suggested software/hardware system it becomes possible to support rescue forces and security forces in disaster areas or during mass events in near real time.

Peter ReinartzEmail:

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Ulrike Thomas   studied Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, till 2000. From 2000 to 2007 she was assistant researcher at the Institute of Robotics and Process Control at the Technical University of Braunschweig. In 2008 she received her Ph.D in robotics. Since 2007 she is a member of the research group “Photogrammetry and Image Analysis” lead by Dr. Peter Reinartz at the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Dominik Rosenbaum   studied Physics and Astronomy at the University of Bonn and received his Ph.D. in Physics at Bochum University in the year 2006. Since 2007 he is responsible for the development of algorithms and methods for extraction of traffic parameters from aerial images in the unit “Photogrammetry and Image Analysis” at the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Franz Kurz   studied geodesy at the Technical University Munich, Germany till 1999. In 2003 he received his Ph.D. from the Technical University Munich in the field of remote sensing for agricultural decision support systems. From 2003 to 2005 he worked as researcher at the cartographic institute (ICC) in Barcelona and since 2005 he is a member of research group “photogrammetry and image analysis” at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). His research focus lies now on image analysis, remote sensing, and photogrammetry, e.g. 3D reconstruction of urban areas from airborne optical images. Sahil Suri   completed his bachelor of information technology in 2004 from Hamdard University in New Delhi followed by a 2-year master’s in geomatics engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee in 2006. In 2005–2006, he was a recipient of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Program) fellowship for writing his master thesis at Technical University of Dresden, Germany. Since September 2006, he has been working with the German Aerospace Center as a Ph.D. student. His research interests include remote sensing image processing related to image registration, fusion and traffic related studies. Peter Reinartz   received his Diploma in Physics in 1983 and his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Hannover, in 1989. He is unit head of the unit “Photogrammetry and Image Analysis”, at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF). He has more than 20 years of experience in image processing and remote sensing and over 120 publications in these fields. His main interests are in direct georeferencing, stereo-photogrammetry with space borne and airborne data, generation of digital elevation models and interpretation of VHR data from space sensors like Ikonos, Quickbird a.o.