EVDNET: Towards Explainable Multi Scale, Anchor Free Vehicle Detection Network in High Resolution Aerial Imagery

The rapid advancement in deep learning-based object detection methods has made them a prevalent choice for real-time applications. Families of object detectors, including one-stage detectors, two-stage detectors, and region-based CNN networks, offer superior performance in accurately detecting objects. Despite their high accuracy, the complex design and black-box functionality of these models are not directly transferable in aerial imagery. Also, raise questions among users regarding the transparency of the algorithm in locating objects. Consequently, to demystify the decision process of these models, there is a need for Explainable AI (XAI) tools. XAI enables an understanding of the significance of each pixel in an image, shedding light on the contributions that lead to the model’s final output. In this context, this work will present an efficient, explainable, multi-scale vehicle detection network from high resolution aerial imagery, named as EVDNet. The EVDNet model has trained with two publicly available aerial image benchmark dataset DOTA and VEDAI. To enhance interpretability, we leverage XAI method using GradCam. The experimental results not only showcase the effectiveness and performance of the EVDNet model but also provide valuable insights into the object detection process. This research contributes to bridging the gap between complex object detection models and user understanding, offering a more transparent and interpretable approach to high-resolution aerial imagery analysis.