Tracking, Analysis and Measurement of Pedestrian Trajectories

Pedestrian movement is unconstrained. For this reason it is not amenable to mathematical modelling in the same way as road traffic. Individual pedestrians are notoriously difficult to monitor at a microscopic level. This has led to a lack of primary data that can be used to develop reliable models. Although video surveillance is cheap to install and operate, video data is extremely expensive to process for this purpose. An alternative approach is to use passive infrared detectors that are able to track individuals unobtrusively. This thesis describes the use of a low cost infrared sensor for use in tracking pedestrians. The sensor itself, manufactured by a British company, is designed to count people crossing an arbitrary datum line. However, with the development of additional software, the functionality of these sensors can be extended beyond their original design specification. This allows the trajectories of individual pedestrians to be tracked. Although the field of view of each sensor is relatively small (4x4 m), five were deployed in a busy indoor corridor, covering most of its length. In this research, the technical challenges involved in using the sensors in this way are addressed. Statistics derived from the data collected are then compared to other studies at this scale.