Topic-based Video Analysis: A Survey

Manual processing of a large volume of video data captured through closed-circuit television is challenging due to various reasons. First, manual analysis is highly time-consuming. Moreover, as surveillance videos are recorded in dynamic conditions such as in the presence of camera motion, varying illumination, or occlusion, conventional supervised learning may not work always. Thus, computer vision-based automatic surveillance scene analysis is carried out in unsupervised ways. Topic modelling is one of the emerging fields used in unsupervised information processing. Topic modelling is used in text analysis, computer vision applications, and other areas involving spatio-temporal data. In this article, we discuss the scope, variations, and applications of topic modelling, particularly focusing on surveillance video analysis. We have provided a methodological survey on existing topic models, their features, underlying representations, characterization, and applications in visual surveillance’s perspective. Important research papers related to topic modelling in visual surveillance have been summarized and critically analyzed in this article.