New approach to traffic density estimation based on indoor and outdoor scenes from CCTV

In this paper we present an algorithm for precise estimation of moving objects density (typically people and vehicles) in indoor and outdoor scenes. Automatic generation of the so-called density maps is based on video sequences acquired by surveillance systems. Our approach offers two types of solutions. The first one increments the accumulation table when a moving object is detected in a location of interest, delivering a density map of the presence of moving objects. The second algorithm increments the accumulation table only in cases of detecting a new moving object, resulting in a density map of the count of moving objects. The proposed algorithms were tested with the use of PETS 2009 database and with our own database of long-term video recordings. Finally, results of the density maps visualization and determination of the “busy hours” are presented.