Combining Object and Feature Dynamics in Probabilistic Tracking

Objects can exhibit different dynamics at different scales, and this is often exploited by visual tracking algorithms. A local dynamic model is typically used to extract image features that are then used as input to a system for tracking the entire object using a global dynamic model. Approximate local dynamics may be brittle - point trackers drift due to image noise and adaptive background models adapt to foreground objects that become stationary - but constraints from the global model can make them more robust. We propose a probabilistic framework for incorporating global dynamics knowledge into the local feature extraction processes. A global tracking algorithm can be formulated as a generative model and used to predict feature values that are incorporated into an observation process of the feature extractor. We combine such models in a multichain graphical model framework. We show the utility of our framework for improving feature tracking and thus shape and motion estimates in a batch factorization algorithm. We also propose an approximate filtering algorithm appropriate for online applications, and demonstrate its application to background subtraction.