A high performance approach to detecting small targets in long range low quality infrared videos

Since targets are small in long range infrared (IR) videos, it is challenging to accurately detect targets in those videos. In this paper, we propose a high performance approach to detecting small targets in long range and low quality infrared videos. Our approach consists of a video resolution enhancement module, a proven small target detector based on local intensity and gradient (LIG), a connected component (CC) analysis module, and a track association module to connect detections from multiple frames. Extensive experiments using actual mid-wave infrared (MWIR) videos in ranges between 3500 m and 5000 m from a benchmark dataset clearly demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed approach.