Camera based target recognition for maritime awareness

In this paper a framework for a camera based vessel recognition system is proposed. The framework is designed to enhance the functionalities of current Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) systems, by adding a visual dimension to VTS data and the classification of non-cooperative targets. Furthermore, the framework can be suitable for the vessel traffic monitoring in populated areas where radar-based systems cannot be used due to electromagnetic radiation emissions. A quantitative evaluation of the detection performance on a publicly available dataset that validates the approach is provided.