Lewis, Paul and Fotheringham, Stewart and Winstanley, Adam C. (2011) Spatial Video and GIS. International Journal of Geographical Information Science , 25 (5). pp. 697-716. ISSN 1365-8816

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Abstract

GIS elemental unit representations of spatial data are often defined in terms of points, lines and areas. However, another type of spatial data that is becoming frequently captured, but as yet is largely ignored in GIS, is that of video. While digital video recording is a commonly encountered medium in modern society and encompasses many forms, from simple personal camcorders through to sophisticated survey and surveillance systems, its geographical representation in a GIS has not been fully examined or realised. In the majority of cases the video footage is usually captured while the device and/or the objects being viewed are in motion. What is of particular interest is when video streams can be, or have been, associated with spatial data such as location and orientation to create geographically referenced videographic data, which, for simplicity, will be defined as spatial video. Fundamentally, the nature of video is to record space, so when spatial properties can be accurately acquired and associated with this footage, an important geographical element can be considered for integration and analysis within a GIS. Existing spatial video systems, both commercial and research, are predominantly used in survey or LBS roles and are usually bespoke and application specific (Kim et al. 2003a; Red Hen 2005; RouteMapper 2007) . These systems do not model spatial video to any recognised standards that is generalised to be both data and platform independent. They do not support GIS integration and/or analysis from a purely spatial content perspective. A videoimage/ remote-sensing centric approach prevails where usage options range from simple visualisation interfaces to interactive computer vision systems. What has been largely overlooked is a spatial approach where the inherent geographical extent recorded in each video frame can be modelled and used in a geo-spatial analysis context. While this modelling approach has not been fully realised, it does exist in a GIS form based on Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards, where the spatial context of video is defined in a structure called a ViewCone (Lewis et al. 2006; OGC OWS-3 2005). However, a ViewCone only defines a 2D model of the geographical extent of each frame and is restricted to a three-orfive sided polygon representation. Thus, this paper examines the potential of modelling spatial video through the use of elemental data types within GIS; gives some examples of using this approach; describes some problems in using spatial video within GIS; and then demonstrates how these problems are being solved. This is done in three stages. Firstly, a detailed overview of spatial video in its current GIS role is provided - this is achieved through a complete introduction to the distinct elements of spatial video followed by a review of its use in both commercial and academic application areas. Secondly, a brief theoretical overview of an alternative GISconstrained ViewCone data structure is given that defines a more flexible spatial video model for both 2D and 3D GIS analysis and visualisation. Thirdly, a selective sample of results is presented based on an implementation of this approach being applied to a constrained spatial video data source in a specific study area.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This work has been completed at the National Centre for Geocomputation at NUI Maynooth. It was made possible through funding from the Strategic Research Cluster grant (07/SRC/I1168) awarded by Science Foundation Ireland under the National Development Plan. Elements were also completed through funding from the Embark IRCSET postgraduate research grant (RS/2005/331) and the NUIM John and Pat Hume Research Scholarship.
Keywords:	Spatial; Video; Viewshed; Segmentation; GIS;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Research Institutes > National Centre for Geocomputation, NCG
Item ID:	2770
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2010.505196
Depositing User:	Dr. Paul Lewis
Date Deposited:	14 Oct 2011 09:39
Journal or Publication Title:	International Journal of Geographical Information Science
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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