Object search using wavelet-based polar matching for aerial imagery

A method for finding known objects in aerial and satellite imagery was designed, implemented in MATLAB and tested. This method took a keypoint-based approach to describing objects. Several of the steps used in the scheme took advantage of the Dual-Tree Complex Wavelet Transform (DTCWT). These were combined with a new approach which takes the highly localised information encoded in keypoint descriptors and combines it with “global” geometrical information about the target. Many keypoints which corroborate the same approximate location as the predicted target centre can improve match confidence. The implementation of the above was evaluated both with synthetic imagery, as a means to identify and characterise factors which degrade performance, and also real imagery as a means to demonstrate its “real-world” performance. The real imagery demonstrated success in identifying a range of objects.