Optical flow for sidewalk analysis

• Grant number: 25/13940-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science - Computing Methodologies and Techniques
• Principal Investigator: Roberto Marcondes Cesar Junior
• Grantee: Roberto Marcondes Cesar Junior
• Host Institution: Instituto de Matemática e Estatística (IME). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Associated research grant: 22/15304-4 - Learning context rich representations for computer vision, AP.TEM

Abstract

Here is a clear and professional English version of your project description:---This project aims to introduce the student to the fundamentals of computer vision and multimodal machine learning, with a focus on urban data analysis using the SideSeeing system. The student will learn how to capture and synchronize visual data (videos), sensory data (such as audio and accelerometer readings), and spatial data (such as GPS), organizing these sources in a structured way for computational analysis.The main focus of the project will be the study and implementation of **optical flow algorithms** for motion analysis based on videos collected in the field using mobile devices. Optical flow is an essential tool for detecting movement patterns and obstacles along urban pathways, playing a key role in SideSeeing's ability to identify narrow sidewalks and mobility barriers.Throughout the project, the student will explore both classical and modern approaches to optical flow, evaluating their performance on real-world data acquired with SideSeeing. The work will involve both data preparation (multimodal data engineering) and visual processing using lightweight machine learning models. By the end of the project, the student is expected to have acquired introductory skills in practical computer vision - with an emphasis on optical flow - as well as familiarity with field data acquisition and multimodal analysis tools, contributing significantly to their scientific development. (AU)