Social Studies

Computer vision is a very extensive field, dealing with almost everything involving the processing of data from image sensors. Because of this, there is a plethora of applications for computer vision systems. They are especially useful in social studies fields, where it is important to analyze large amounts of data generated over long periods of time. Some potential applications for computer vision in social studies are document digitizing, scene reconstruction, and use in Geographic Information Systems.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) systems have long been used to digitize books to preserve historical knowledge. These systems allow computers to convert scanned images of book pages into a text format that can be saved, distributed, and translated in the future. Books that would otherwise require too much time to preserve and ultimately be lost can be quickly and efficiently converted to a digital format using computer vision. However, computer vision systems allow computers to perform much more complicated analysis. Computer vision systems can recognize faces, objects, and symbols, and could be used to scan through large amounts of imagery for particular artifacts or forms of writing.

Google Earth provides three-dimensional models for many of the world's great cities. Using satellite imagery, Google reconstructs everything from skyscrapers to trees and houses. Rather than perform this task manually, Google uses a computer vision system which performs scene reconstruction. Scene reconstruction is the generation of three-dimensional models and textures using images taken from multiple angles. These images are analyzed to determine their orientation, position, and location relative to each other. This information can then be used to automatically generate a three-dimensional model. Scene reconstruction performed by a computer vision system allows the construction of three-dimensional maps at very little cost.

Visual sensor networks are large collections of image sensors that collect data over a long period of time to analyze changes and continuities in the environment. Computer vision can be used to analyze the extensive collection of image data produced by these networks. These systems can perform dense reconstruction of three-dimensional scenes to show detailed information about environmental changes over time.

Computer vision is also an important part of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These systems process a stream of information from sensors and satellite cameras into meaningful data and statistics. Computer vision is used to process satellite imagery and make it available to the public. Computer vision systems can also be used to generate other statistics using imagery. For example, computer vision systems have been used to analyze the condition of road pavement, estimate populations, and record global processes such as global warming. Computer vision can be used as an efficient and flexible method of digitizing, analyzing, and preserving historical information.