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Pixel Height Ratio

Definition

The number of pixels occupied by a vertical extent (person, door, markings) in the image. Ratios between subject and reference pixel heights form the basis of proportion-based methods, corrected by a perspective factor when the positions differ.

Measures
Vertical pixel extent of a subject or reference in an image
Use
Proportion-based height estimation from CCTV
Correction needed
Perspective factor when subject and reference differ in position
Common reference objects
Doorways, marked height charts, fixed measurements in frame

Common questions

Why can't pixel height ratio alone give an accurate height estimate?+

A subject standing closer to or farther from the camera than the reference object will appear a different apparent size purely from perspective, so the raw pixel ratio must be corrected using the geometry of camera position, lens, and distance before it reflects true height.

What increases error in a pixel-height-ratio estimate?+

Low camera resolution, motion blur, an oblique camera angle, and a reference object that is not in the same depth plane as the subject all widen the uncertainty range reported alongside the estimated height.

Related terms

Ground-Plane Calibration
A physical survey of the scene after the event, measuring reference points on the floor relative to the camera position, allowing the...
Perspective Distortion Error
The apparent change in size of objects at different distances from the camera due to projective geometry. A person closer to the...
Reference-Object Method
Height estimation by measuring the pixel heights of both the subject and a reference object of known stature in the same frame,...
Stature Estimation Uncertainty
The combined error from pixel localisation, reference height knowledge, positional correction accuracy, and camera model assumptions, expressed as a confidence interval at...
Vanishing-Point Method
Using the vertical vanishing point and two horizontal vanishing points to compute the camera's effective viewing geometry, then projecting the person's image...

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