Single Object Tracking in Satellite Videos: A Correlation Filter-Based Dual-Flow Tracker
Satellite video (SV) can acquire rich spatiotemporal information on the Earth. Single object tracking (SOT) in SVs enables the continuous acquisition of the position and range of a specific object, expanding the field of remote-sensing applications. In SVs, objects are small with limited features and vulnerable to tracking drift. In this paper, a correlation filter-based dual-flow (DF) tracker is proposed to explore how the hybridization of spatial-spectral feature fusion and motion model can boost tracking. To represent small objects, the DF adaptively fuses complementary features using a state-aware indicator in feature flow. In motion flow, the indicator perceives the confidence of the feature flow. A dual-mode prediction model is then constructed to simulate the object's motion pattern, and cooperate linear and non-linear motion patterns to implement SOT in SVs. The ablation experiments demonstrate the dual-flow contributes to tracking. Experimental comparisons on 14 real SVs captured by the Jilin-1 satellite constellation show that DF achieves optimal performance with an area under the curve of 0.912 in the precision plot, 0.700 in the success plot, and a speed of 155.2 frames per second. This work would encourage the development of remote-sensing ground surveillance.