Improved detection algorithm: 30% fewer false alarms, longer range and 35% more real long-distance detections
We have rolled out an improved version of our stopped-vehicle detection algorithm. In tests on real recordings from motorway cameras it cut false alarms by about 30% and raised the success rate for distant detections by 35% – vehicles that take up only a few pixels at the far end of the camera view. The update extends the detection range: the system now detects even smaller, more distant vehicles.
What is new
More precise image stabilisation. Camera shake – in the wind or as a lorry passes – no longer triggers nearly as many false alarms.
Camera movement and scene changes are recognised. A camera turning or zooming, rain setting in, dusk or a switch to night IR mode is detected and the system adapts quickly – without a long detection pause. The risk of losing a vehicle that stopped just before the change is significantly lower.
More levels of verification. We have added further levels that assess every detection candidate from several angles – including our own local neural network, developed by our company since 2018 and trained on hundreds of thousands of real traffic events – not a third-party AI service. The data never leave the server – everything runs locally. Shadows, sun glare, reflections from a wet road and moving trees are filtered out far more often before they reach the operator.
Longer detection range. The system now detects even smaller and more distant vehicles than before. Distant objects get special attention – they are evaluated by different algorithms than objects close to the camera. Even a vehicle only a few pixels in size is now caught more reliably.
All of this runs at a comparable server load as before – the update needs no new hardware.
What it means for operators
Fewer needless notifications and more real incidents reported in time – including the most distant ones. Operators can focus on what matters: a vehicle that stopped where it should not have.
Examples of long-range detections
Real detections from motorway cameras after the update. The red frame shows the enlarged detail of what the system detected – often an object only a few pixels in size.
Distant stopped vehicle on a sunny day The vehicle stopped far from the camera and occupies only a few pixels in the image. The improved algorithm still detects it reliably.Stopped vehicle almost at the horizon The vehicle is so far away that it almost merges with the background. Even so, the system detected it as a stopped object.Distant stopped vehicle on a long straight motorway A vehicle this far away in the camera view is easy to miss. Thanks to the longer detection range, the system now detects it.Distant stopped vehicle in open countryside Distant objects get special attention – they are evaluated by different algorithms than objects close to the camera.Stopped vehicle only a few pixels in size In the camera image the vehicle is just a small dot. The enlarged detail shows what the system detected.Distant stopped vehicle in autumn The vehicle stopped far from the camera and occupies only a few pixels in the image. The improved algorithm still detects it reliably.Distant stopped vehicle on a curving motorway A vehicle this far away in the camera view is easy to miss. Thanks to the longer detection range, the system now detects it.Distant stopped vehicle on an overcast day Distant objects get special attention – they are evaluated by different algorithms than objects close to the camera.Person on the motorway far from the camera Not only vehicles: the system also detected a person on the motorway far from the camera – a situation the operator needs to know about immediately.Stopped vehicle at the top of the camera view The vehicle is at the very top of the image, where every object is tiny. The detection extends the effective range of the camera.Distant stopped vehicle on a motorway through a forest The vehicle stopped far from the camera and occupies only a few pixels in the image. The improved algorithm still detects it reliably.Stopped vehicle at the far end of the camera view A small vehicle at the far end of the camera view, detected thanks to the longer detection range.Stopped vehicle at the edge of the camera view The vehicle is at the edge of the camera view, where it is easy to overlook. The system still recognised it as a stopped object.
Try it on your own video
Want to see how our software works?
Send us a recording from one of your traffic cameras. We will run it through our software and send you back the detections it found – both real and false ones.
