A Formal Algebra Implementation for Distributed Image and Video Stream Processing

We are interested in building scalable computer vision systems for distributed processing of big visual data. We apply data streaming concepts, namely stream algebra operators, which have been proven effective in the database literature. The operators collectively form an algebra over data streams. The algebra has well defined semantics. It naturally describes online computer vision algorithms and their feedback control and tuning algorithms. In this work, we present the first implementation of such algebra at large scale. Our implementation provides a high level programming interface for constructing and executing vision workflow graphs while hiding the data transfer and concurrency details. It also allows feedback control and dynamic reconfiguration of vision algorithms. A case study is discussed showing a streaming workflow for online lane and road boundary detection and describing the flexibility and effectiveness of the algebra for building complex distributed applications.