Full field motion estimation for large non-rigid bodies using correlation/relaxation labelling

A technique for determining the full field motion of large, non-rigid bodies is presented. The technique has two stages. Firstly, a number of candidate displacement vectors are generated for a series of regularly spaced templates, using a region-based matching procedure. These multiple candidates are then smoothed using probabilistic relaxation labelling. The relaxation routine gauges the compatibility between pairs of labels for templates within a local neighbourhood. The size of the neighbourhood is determined by the Hamming distance between template centres. This approach copes well with errors in the initial matching caused by uncertainties in the correlation surface. Results are presented in application to a time sequence of high resolution digital images, obtained from photographic negatives of a glacial scene in New Zealand's Mount Cook National Park.