Real-time adaptive weather surveillance system and method

• US 9,411,072 B1
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NV5 Geospatial Solutions Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Exelis Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dixon, Eric Marlin
• Primary Examiner(s): Findley, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US13/898,913
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 2001/006 Main server receiving weather information from several sub-stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30192 Weather; Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/00 Scenes; Scene-specific elements control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A weather surveillance system includes a data ingest module for receiving weather forecasts of a region, and multiple cameras for viewing targets of interest and providing imagery of the targets of interest, wherein the targets of interest are located within the region. The data ingest module also receives the imagery from the multiple cameras. The system also includes an analytics module for selecting at least one of the multiple cameras; a data fusion module for combining the received weather forecasts of the region with received imagery of the selected camera; and an output module which provides fused data to a user for verifying the weather forecast in the target of interest. The output module includes a web-based service module for collecting, storing and disseminating the fused data to the user.

Claims

1. A weather surveillance system comprising:

a data ingest module for receiving weather forecasts of a region,

multiple cameras for viewing targets of interest and providing to the data ingest module imagery of a subset area within the weather forecast region,

a camera selection analytics module coupled to the data ingest module for selecting at least one of the multiple cameras,

a data fusion module coupled to the data ingest module for combining the received weather forecasts of the region with received imagery of the selected camera, and

an output module providing combined data for output to verify the weather forecast in a target of interest,

wherein the system is configured to;

receive, by the data incest module, the weather forecast of a region predicting a weather event in the region from a weather service Provider;

receive a request for confirmation of the predicted weather event in the weather forecast region;

in response to the received request, select a camera within the weather forecast data region;

receive, by the data ingest module, imagery of a subset area of the weather forecast region from the selected camera;

identify an occurrence of the predicted weather event by analysis of an image in the received imagery;

combine, by the data fusion module, the weather forecast data and the imagery that confirms the occurrence of the predicted weather event for visualization; and

provide to the output module the combined weather data and imagery confirming an occurrence of the predicted weather event for output on a visualization platform.

2. The weather surveillance system of claim 1 wherein the output module includes a web-based service module for collecting, storing and disseminating the combined data to the user.

3. The weather surveillance system of claim 2, further comprising:

a browser for communicating with the web-based service module.

4. The weather surveillance system of claim 3, further comprising:

an application program for selecting, in response to a user input, the target of interest disposed in the region of weather forecast.

5. The weather surveillance system of claim 1, further comprising:

a camera pointing module for controlling an angular position of a field of view of one camera of the multiple cameras,

wherein the data ingest module is configured to receive the imagery in the field of view imaged by the one camera.

6. The weather surveillance system of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage module for storing data received by the data ingest module.

7. The weather surveillance system of claim 1 wherein the multiple cameras include a closed circuit television camera.

8. The weather surveillance system of claim 1 wherein the multiple cameras include a hand-held camera of a smart-phone.

9. The weather surveillance system of claim 1 further comprising:

a web application server communicating with the user for providing the fused data in response to the user request.

10. The weather surveillance system of claim 9, wherein:

the fused data includes an area of a map enclosed by a polygon and imagery received from a camera located within the polygon.

11. The weather surveillance system of claim 10, wherein:

the polygon is selected by the user via the Internet,

the camera is selected by the user via the Internet, and

the imagery is provided to the user from the web application server.

12. The weather surveillance system of claim 1, wherein:

the multiple cameras include at least a closed circuit television camera and a hand-held camera of a smart phone.

13. The weather surveillance system of claim 1 wherein the analytics module includes:

a wetness determination module for determining whether the imagery of at least one of the targets of interest includes a wet region,

wherein wetness is defined as including rain or snow in the imagery.

14. The weather surveillance system of claim 13 wherein the wetness determination module includes:

a comparison module for comparing a reference image with a detection image and outputting a decision of wetness,

wherein the reference image is previously obtained and the detection image is presently obtained, and

the detection image is judged against the reference image, prior to outputting the decision of wetness.

15. The weather surveillance system of claim 14 including:

a feature extraction module for extracting features from the reference and detection images, and

a classification module for classifying the detection image as including the wet region, in response to the extracted features.

16. The weather surveillance system of claim 15 wherein

the classification module includes a neural network for training the wetness determination module.

17. The weather surveillance system of claim 13 wherein

the imagery of one subset area includes multiple images of the subset area.

18. The weather surveillance system of claim 13 wherein the target of interest includes a road, and

the wetness determination is performed on the road.

19. The weather surveillance system of claim 13 including:

a masking module for masking portions of the detection image.

20. The weather surveillance system of claim 14 wherein

the reference image includes an image of the target of interest viewed on a sunny day.

21. The weather surveillance system of claim 15 wherein the extracted features include ratios of luminance values of a grass region and a sky region;

and a road region and a grass region.

22. A method for weather surveillance comprising the steps of:

receiving weather forecast data of a region predicting a weather event in the region from a weather service provider;

receiving a request for weather confirmation of the predicted weather event in the weather forecast data region;

in response to the received request, selecting a camera within the weather forecast data region;

receiving imagery of a subset area of the weather forecast data region from the selected camera;

identifying an occurrence of the predicted weather event by analysis of an image in the received imagery;

combining the weather forecast data and the imagery that confirms the occurrence of the predicted weather event for visualization; and

providing the combined weather forecast data and imagery as confirmation of an occurrence of the predicted weather event for output on a visualization platform.

23. The method of claim 22 including the steps of:

requesting, by the user, imagery of the subset area of the region of interest from a specific angular direction; and

providing the combined data includes providing the imagery from the specific angular direction requested by the user.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein combining the data includes providing

(a) a diagonal enclosing a region on a map, in response to the request from the user, and

(b) imagery of the subset area is located within the diagonal on the map.

25. The method of claim 22 including the step of:

pointing the camera, in response to a selection by the user, at a specific angular direction.