VISTA : Spatio-Temporal Vision and Learning (project-team)

About the project : Project-Team site Activity report Videos and photos Research reports Theses Theme : Cog Cognitive systems Rennes - Bretagne Atlantique research center

This Research-Team is a follow-up of TEMIS Research-Team

Project-Team Presentation

Joint project-team with CNRS and University of Rennes 1.

VISTA research work is concerned with image sequence analysis and active vision. More precisely, we address two broad issues: analysis of physical phenomena for providing image-based or scene-based motion-related measurements, and for investigating recognition and interpretation of temporal events; perception and control of automated or robot systems, for handling manipulation, tracking, navigation, surveillance or exploration tasks. In that context, we are interested in several types of spatio-temporal images, from optical imagery (video, infra-red) as well as from acoustics (sonar, echography).
We mainly follow a statistical approach (involving Markovian and Bayesian models and methods) to properly handle motion and deformation analysis. The aspects of long-term spatio-temporal analysis (e.g., tracking) are particularly studied. We consider situations of active observer, i.e. we investigate active perception, when the sensor motion or attitude can be controlled. This involves the design of visual servoing techniques and of higher level exploration strategies.

Research themes

Three sectors of applications motivate and validate our work: motion and deformation metrology (in meteorological satellite imagery, medical imagery, experimental visualization in fluid mechanics), robot vision and surveillance systems (power industry, underwater robotics, sonar, transportation), content-based video indexing.

International and industrial relations

• Esprit Projects
  We are participating in the DiVAN ("Distributed audio-Visual Archives Network") R&D Esprit project (Multimedia Systems program) together with Greek, German, Italian and French partners. Our contribution to the project concerns video indexing by contents.
• Contracts
  We have ongoing research or transfer agreements in the three above mentioned application sectors. These agreements are with Météo-France (Spatiotemporal analysis of satellite images for meteorological observation), GIS Sciences de la Cognition (Brain imaging), EDF (2D follow-up of complex shapes with exploitation of CAD models), Ifremer (Motion estimation and image stabilization, transfer of the Motion-2D software), DCN (Information processing for detection and tracking systems), Thomson-RCM (Data merging and tracking, Cifre agreement), Thomson-CSF-Optronique and DGA (Image sequence enhancement), Alcatel-CRC (Video indexing by contents, jointly with project Movi), Arts Video Interactive (Commercial using license for the MD-Shots software) and Ina (Video indexing, Cifre agreement). In addition, we are participating in the Agir RNRT project (Video indexing by contents).
• Academic Relations
  Naval Academy, Brest (Sonar imaging); LEA, Poitiers (Fluid mechanics); GIS GSTB "Brittany Remote Detection Group" (Costel UHB Rennes, Enssat Lannion); Inria cooperative research initiatives with project Movi (Video indexing), projects Epidaure and Isa (3D ultrasound scan), and projects Bip, Icare and Movi (Visual servo-control); France-Israel project on video indexing in collaboration with S. Peleg's laboratory (Jerusalem Hebrew University) and project Movi.

Scientific leader

Patrick PEREZ
+33 2 99 84 22 24
Patrick.Perez@inria.fr
Secretary : +33 2 99 84 72 28