Background foreground segmentation with RGB-D Kinect data: An efficient combination of classifiers

Low cost RGB-D cameras such as the Microsoft’s Kinect or the Asus’s Xtion Pro are completely changing the computer vision world, as they are being successfully used in several applications and research areas. Depth data are particularly attractive and suitable for applications based on moving objects detection through foreground/background segmentation approaches; the RGB-D applications proposed in literature employ, in general, state of the art foreground/background segmentation techniques based on the depth information without taking into account the color information. The novel approach that we propose is based on a combination of classifiers that allows improving background subtraction accuracy with respect to state of the art algorithms by jointly considering color and depth data. In particular, the combination of classifiers is based on a weighted average that allows to adaptively modifying the support of each classifier in the ensemble by considering foreground detections in the previous frames and the depth and color edges. In this way, it is possible to reduce false detections due to critical issues that can not be tackled by the individual classifiers such as: shadows and illumination changes, color and depth camouflage, moved background objects and noisy depth measurements. Moreover, we propose, for the best of the author’s knowledge, the first publicly available RGB-D benchmark dataset with hand-labeled ground truth of several challenging scenarios to test background/foreground segmentation algorithms.

Who calls the shots in the committees of the new European Parliament? CEPS Special Report No. 97, 21 November 2014

This CEPS Special Report analyses the composition of the 20 committees in the new European Parliament and how representative they are of the 28 member states, identifying which policy areas or committees are of particular interest to MEPs from certain countries. It also examines the allocation of committee chairs and party coordinator positions to assess whether the country of origin matters and if so, why. The study reveals that in general the countries’ share of representatives in the committees is very similar in most of the cases to their representation in Parliament. Still, some policy areas have a special relevance for some countries and attract their MEPs in larger numbers. Due to the procedure used in the allocation of the committee chairs, which favours the largest political groups and the largest national parties within them, MEPs from larger member states tend to hold most of these coveted positions. The internal process followed by the political groups in appointing their coordinators in the respective committees is predisposed towards MEPs with seniority, experience and good connections. All in all, the strategic relevance that national parties attach to these positions makes a difference.

Minutes of the county council and reports and minutes of committees of the council and other documents submitted to the council /

Name of County Council varies slightly.

Views and estimates of committees of the House (together with supplemental and minority views) on the congressional budget for fiscal year ... /

At head of title: Committee print.

Sitting in with the supervisory committee : a series of conversations on the powers, duties and functions of the supervisory committees of federal credit unions /

Cover title.

Guides for vocational rehabilitation of the deaf and the hard of hearing : reports of the committees of the first Institute for Special Workers for the Aural Disabled, Washington, D.C., November 28-December 2, 1949.

Mode of access: Internet.

First and second reports from the committees of the House of lords, appointed to inquire into the state of the growth, commerce, and consumption of grain, and all laws relating thereto: to which were referred the several petitions presented to the House in the session of 1813-14, respecting the corn laws.

Mode of access: Internet.

Report on the oil situation; digest of testimony given before committees of the House of Representatives: Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Dec. 12, 1947, Jan. 29, 1948 [and] Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Oil, Jan. 19 and 28, 1948. With additions and revisions to Feb. 15, 1948.

Mode of access: Internet.

In re workmen's compensation and state insurance : before the Committees of Judiciary and Labor of the Connecticut State Legislature : brief /

Mode of access: Internet.

Hearings in the records of the U.S. Senate and joint committees of Congress,

Mode of access: Internet.

List of members, rules and committees of the House and Senate, list of state officers, judges of Supreme Court, United States senators, representatives in Congress and members of the State Board of Equalization, etc.

On cover: Handbook. Illinois Legislature ...

Minutes, and other documents of the Grand committees of the Independent order of Odd fellows, connected with the Manchester unity, from January, 1814, to December, 1828, inclusive.

Preface signed: Isaac Hardman.

Eulogy on John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, pronounced in Hallowell, July, 1826; at the request of committees of the towns of Hallowell, Augusta, and Gardiner.

Mode of access: Internet.