Current version 0.60b (not published)

JOSM video mapping plugin

The video mapping plugin should allow users to link a video against a recorded GPS track. It will be designed for multiscreen systems for a quick see&add workflow.

playback multiple videos within JOSM
control playback with shortcuts
link videos against GPS track -> jump to video time

Started at the "GIS Projekt" at the cair of Geodäsie und Geoinformatik at the university of rostock it became the topic of my bachelor thesis.

started: April 2010
released: July 2011
current: 0.6b (testing, deploying)
progress: /Design, /Concept, /history, /history2)
code: trac.openstreetmap.org

Maintenance, development, state

The code is unmaintained since about 2012.

It simply does not work under Linux, and possibly under other systems either due to dependence on buggy, outdated libraries.

Sponsorship

My research had been kindly supported by test samples of the following companies

	ELMO cooperation lend a SUV Cam II helmet camera
	Kodak GmbH lend a Kodak Zi8 Pocket Camcorder
	Rollei with a Movieline P3
	Medion with a P47350
	Cisco with a Flip Ultra HD
	Aiptek with a PocketDV T8, a AHD A100 and a PenCam Trio HD
	Blickvang with a GoPro HD Hero 960 helmet camera
	Stadtrundfahrten Rostock

And of couse by the OSM community [1], [2]

Roadmap

Have a look at the /history2, /history Development:

~~V 0.1 min JOSM Plugin with interaction on JOSM layer (see GPSracer Plugin for ideas)~~

V 0.2 video functionality in JAVA

V 0.3 GPS interaction

V 0.4 sync video<->GPS track

V 0.5 advanced comfort (shortcuts, options, UI improvements...)

~~V 0.6 multiple videos and gps track interpolation (stage 2 bachelor thesis)~~
... (further extensions /Design#ideas)
V 0.9 adding vehicle physics and estimating view angle?
V 1.0 adding OCR functionality to recognize housenumbers, traffic signs,....?

Problems

~~register for GPS track layer~~

~~create video window, player, controls~~
~~follow/interpolate position in main view~~
~~register shortcuts for video control~~
better JOSM integration (context menu, deployment)
stability

Video framework

Cause Java has no good video engine I use the brilliant native library by the VideoLan Project (GPL, Credits). To make it accessible within Java I use the VLCj library provided by Eduardo Sherington (aka William Mark Lee) that comes under GPL, too.

Test recordings

Camcorders

Mini DV PMDV80 (cheap Keycam)
Kodak Zi8 (Pocket camcorder)
Sony HDR-XR500VE (full hand camcorder)
Movieline P3
HD Hero 960 (helmet cam)

Camcorder setups

bike
car
doube size bus
tram back
rapid transit
helmet camera

walking

5km/h
need a steady cam tripod for >15min (big camcorders becomes heavy over the time...)
with jumping/slowmo very comfortable

walking, cam in hand

cycling

15-30km/h
easy wearables: tripod+knapsack
only carrying in hand is possible but not recommend for own security!

looking to side
backward angeled
in hand

car

very nice within city 30-50km/h
hidden objects by transporters, trucks, buses, trams,... if you film the opposite lane
countryside only a few objects

30km/h angled
50km/h angled
70km/h front countryside

bus

30-70km/h AVG 25km/h
heavy acceleration/turns -> mount tripod
heavy vibrations possible
have to take a good place esp. in front
2nd floor avoids hidden objects

angeled to side
angeled to front

tram

very fast 30-40km/h -> deinterlacing/artifacts
- looking to the side doesn't work
- even big lettered shops unreadable
tripod not necessary
no interaction necessary

backward:

traffic signs not recognizable
small shops unreadable
to much rails
only very few hidden objects by other trams

angular:

zoom might get better results cause less speed

backward
backward to the side

rapid transit(sBahn)

~80km/h
very poor results: only big houses/signs identifiable
mostly surrounded by green

rapid transit 40km/h
rapid transit 50km/h
rapid transit 100km/h

train

130km/h
only ways parallel to the rails visible
areas surrounding the train stations good visible

UAV

produce mostly photos that are stitched together

Cameras

price from 30€(webcam) over 120€(pocket camcorder), 500€(amateur camcorder), 1000€(adv. camcorder) till x000€(prof. TV camera)
industry cams? (outdoor mount)
Video suites suck

Sony HDR-XR500VE

embedded HDD and GPS
HD is realy great

Panasonic NVS-GS300

DV tapes suck, cause you have to stream it to PC
60-120mins

ELMO SUV II Helmet camera

1.50m cable
has manual focus
can slow down FPS
powerfull-> you can point to interesting things
filming to (oppo)side is difficult cause of focus and limited point of view
filming to front is very cool but might reduce your attention to the rest of the traffic
better than webcam
see demovideo: http://vimeo.com/13626453

Kodak Zi8 Pocket Camcorder

monitor for review -> you can re-adjust
handy enough to carry it over long time in hand (even on a bike)
handy enough to take it allways with you
brilliant HD quality, 60fps possible
camcorder like very fast brightness adaption
very inconspicuous (looks like a mobile phone)
noise in darker scenarios

conclusion

best results at 10-25km/h and in a city
- faster means more 'in front' looking cam
- film objects that are far away (opposite lane)
- fix focus to infinite
have only to decide:
- if road+signs are important (then direct in front looking cam)
- or the scenario (then a traversal to left/right)
be aware of scratched/unclean windows, rain, reflections, flying hairs -> cloudy weather is cool
be aware of refocusing and misplaced setups ->fix focus is good
a second person for body cam setup is perfect!
GPS cams don't necessarily offer a GPS track
Cams run <2h
comparable medium quality of digicams/helmet cams
luxury camcorders (autofocus,...) not necessary
a lot of data (1.5h -> 4.8GB) -> prefer MPEG4 and non HD
Analyzing takes ~ 3x recording time (in premapped city areas with high object density)
privacy is not a problem most faces unrecognizable and movie has a documentation character.
You/other might be filmed during illegal actions (red crossings....).
Yourself will filmed in different ways (reflections,...).

results

good tool for: road features, road structure, streetnames, shops, high grade details (barriers, benches, clocks,...), high density (housenumbers) and QA in general
might get problems with some house numbers (bad contrast on the same colored ground etc...)

legal/pricacy issues

need no permisssion if recording in public transport (see forums, wikipedia:Drehgenehmigung]])