Novel Image Database Analysis System for Maintenance of Transportation Facility

Principal Investigators

Dr. Kami Makki
The University of Toledo

Co-Investigators

Dr. Eddie Chou
The University of Toledo
Dr. En-Bing Lin
The University of Toledo
Dr. Ezzatollah Salari
The University of Toledo

Project Dates:

02/05/2008 to 10/31/2008

Project year: Year 1

MIOH-UTC Project Identifier: TS 18; Project 1

Focus Area:

Research: Intelligent Transportation Systems

Abstract:

Transportation is critical to the global economy and plays a particularly vital role in this region's economic growth. Transportation informatics is an emerging interdisciplinary area with focus on innovative use of information technologies for transportation purposes. The goal is to ensure safe and efficient movements of passengers and freights through speedy processing of complex information for on-time decision making.

A group of UT faculty members with diverse expertise related to transportation informatics have worked together to collaborate on research. Image analysis, pattern recognition and decision making for transportation applications have been identified as an area of common interest. Several members have been engaging in research using imaging technologies including applications for transportation facilities inspection purposes. The demands for automated inspection, monitoring and pattern recognition for transportation applications are ever increasing, partly driven by homeland security concerns. Simultaneously, the costs of imaging technologies have been becoming more affordable. Some technologies developed for military or medical applications could be suitable for civilian transportation use. The research group's vision is to develop a self-sustained, externally funded research area in transportation informatics at the UT to develop a functioning prototype system to automatically process, store, analyze and extract information from images for the purpose of inspection, monitoring and detection of transportation facility.