GB2495470A

GB2495470A - A tracking system using cameras and a global-positioning system

Info

Publication number: GB2495470A
Application number: GB1116485.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lee Harvey Walden
Original assignee: MICHAEL FREDERICK WALDEN
Current assignee: MICHAEL FREDERICK WALDEN
Priority date: 2011-09-26
Filing date: 2011-09-26
Publication date: 2013-04-17
Also published as: GB201116485D0

Abstract

A tracking system (10) comprising camera-like observation means (12) adapted to form a picture (14) substantially continuous in time of a field of view 16 in which objects 18 can move. The system also comprises: means (20) to identify the global position 22 in the field of view corresponding to any point (24) in the picture and/or vice versa, and thus to identify the global positions of objects in the field of view relating to images in the picture and/or vice versa; and means to track the movement of such an image in the picture and hence ascertain the global position in the field of view at any time of the object. The object being tracked may be a suspicious vehicle. The system may also comprise means for flagging objects of interest so that they can be tracked across a plurality of images.

Description

TITLE: IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to vehicle identification.

BACKGROUND

This application (applicant reference WLD/4/GB) is one of a group of co-pending patent applications, all lodged on the same day, the whole contents of the specifications of the others cf which are hereby imported into the present specification. The group of co-pending applications have the applicant references: WLD/1/GB, WLD/2/GB, WLD/3/GB, WLD/4/GB, WLD/5/GB, WLD/6/GB, WLD/7/GB.

There are various reasons why it is desirable to be able to identify a vehicle individually, for example a vehicle which is suspicious. This may be because its number plate registration number and its VIN (e.g. chassis number) do not agree according to details stored in a central registration authority register or because it has been used in a suspicious situation, e.g. being involved in an accident or a crime. However, if the vehicle is travelling, once it has been identified it is very difficult to interact with the vehicle unless: this is done immediately; or the vehicle can be spotted on a later occasion; or the vehicle is provided with some sort of tracking device.

THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention provides a system for substantially continuous external tracking of a vehicle not provided with (and/or without making use of) an on-board tracking device. (This has particular but not exclusive application to land vehicles.) For this purpose, according to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a system comprising apparatus for substantially continuous map-like surveillance of a tract of land by observation to ascertain the changing positions of vehicles on the land during the surveillance and provide an electronic representation/image of the changing position of each vehicle, means to flag, or associate a marker electronically with, such a representation as it moves actually or virtually, whereby to track the changing position of such a vehicle on the land, means to identify a particular one of such vehicles, and means to indicate to said apparatus which of said representations relates to the identified vehicle. Said apparatus may be a low-level surveilling apparatus, may be on the land (ground-based, e.g. on a mast or a hilltop), and/or may be in the nature of radar.

The system should be so arranged that it minimises the possibility of shadowing of one vehice by another, e.g. the observation means, which is camera-like, e.g. camera or radar aehal, should be so high above the ground that it views the whole of the surveilled area at a vertical angle of at least 45° from the ground. The representations may be actually visible, e.g. pictorially, e.g. on a plan position indicator (PPI). Said apparatus may be high-level (aerial) surveilling apparatus, e.g. in a police or other helicopter and/or carried in a satellite. The representations may be electronic, e.g. within a computer. The system preferably comprises means to inform the position of the identified vehicle at any time after the identification thereof, e.g. in a manner to enable e.g. (possibly visual) contact, e.g. interception or visual identification of the vehicle, e.g. by indicating the absolute global position of the vehicle. This system may thus be used by e.g. police to intercept a suspicious vehicle at their leisure without having to maintain visual contact with it, often by a high-speed chase; and the identification of the vehicle can be passed from one police vehicle to another for the latter to effect such contact, e.g. interception. Thus, this system can be automatic and take over the role of maintaining visual contact with a suspicious vehicle. The identification means may be in accordance with the other co-pending applications. The identification means may be associated with a particular sensing point, e.g. on the roadway, whose absolute position is known; upon determining that a particular vehicle identified there at a particular time is to be tracked, the identification means notifies the surveilling apparatus which thereupon puts a marker on the vehicle representation it finds at that instant corresponding to that absolute position. The identification means may be associated with a viewable area, e.g. of roadway; upon determining that a particular vehicle at some point within that area is to be tracked, the identification means identifies the absolute position of that point and uploads this information to said apparatus which thereupon puts a marker on the vehicle representation instantaneously corresponding to that absolute position.

Possible scenarios: 1. A vehicle carrying an RHO device 2nd travelling on a tract of land under sLibstantially continuous surveillance by an observation satellite passes an RFID reader and is noted as suspicious, e.g. because its ID or VIN (captured by the reader from the RFID device) does not match its registration number (captured by an ANPR device associated with the reader) as recorded at a central registration authority data store. The position of the vehicle is noted, being defined in relation to the position of the reader, and is transmitted by radio link to a computation centre, which may be earthbound or may be aboard the observation satellite. The observation satellite provides at the computation centre a substantially continuous (e.g. refreshed every 1/10 of a second, being the time it takes a vehicle travelling at 60 mph or 96 km/h to travel 2.5 m, being such a short time/distance that a vehicle chosen in one observation can readily be identified in the next refreshed observation) virtual (e.g. formulated within a computer's software) or real picture of the observed tract of land with a virtual or real image of each vehicle in that picture. The computation centre has established or can establish the global position corresponding to any point in the picture and/or can establish the point in the picture corresponding to any global position (within the tract of land).

The computation centre receives the position of the suspicious vehicle, identifies the corresponding point in the picture and hence the corresponding vehicle image in the picture and flags this (with a virtual flag in a virtual picture within the computer software, and possibly with a real flag on a real picture), and maintains this image flagged during subsequent refreshments of the picture, and hence at any time upon interrogation (e.g. from a police car) or otherwise (e.g. the download being initiated by the observation devce to the nearest police car to the suspicious vehicle, e.g. at a later time) can provide the current global position of the vehicle corresponding to the flagged image as this moves across the picture. The current position can thus then be notified to e.g. (police in) a police car, that is nearby to the suspicious vehicle at some convenient later time, which can then intercept that vehicle.

2. A vehicle (which need not be carrying an RFID device) travelling on the tract of land under substantially continuous surveillance by the observation satellite is observed as suspicious by (police in) a police car (which for some reason cannot identify an ID or registration number for the vehicle) that carries a position-determining device that can be focused on the suspicious vehicle to determine its position, either as an absolute global position or as a position relative to the police car, whose absolute global position is or can be known, so that the absolute position of the suspicious vehicle will be known or can be calculated. Data thus identifying the position of the suspicious vehicle are then transmitted to the computation centre in order to flag the image of the suspicious vehicle. The flagged image may then be monitored until the observation means determines that the vehicle is adjacent an RFID reader (by monitoring until there is adjacency of respective vehicle and reader images in the picture) and then upload from the reader the vehicle's ID, if it has an RFID device, to add this to the flag information on the vehicle's image. The current position can then at a convenient later time be notified to a convenient police car (which may be the original one) to intercept the suspicious vehicle (or at least approach closely enough to ascertain its registration number and possibly its VIN from an RFID device if it is carrying one, depending upon the object to be achieved).

The picture and refreshments thereof are stored so that they can later be used as evidence that this is the same vehicle.

3. An incident occurs with a vehicle travelling on the tract of land under substantially continuous surveillance by the observation satellite. The vehicle is not identified at the time, but its position at the time is known or can be ascertained later.

At a later time, the stored records of pictures from the satellite can be accessed to flag the vehicle image corresponding to the vehicle at that position at that time. This can be tracked through subsequent refreshments of the picture until current time, when the vehicle's position can be notified to e.g. (police in) a police car then able to identify the vehicle at that current position and, if appropriate, intercept the same.

4. A vehicle is noted as suspicious (e.g. by a person watching a display of the picture, e.g. using touchscreen technology to touch the relevant image and hence select it in the system for flagging, or by the system itself having software to determine predefined suspicious actions or conditions of vehicles by means of their images within the picture, e.g. speeding or being involved in a collision or proceeding the wrong way along a one-way street, or by other means, e.g. due to the vehicle simply not having a detectable RFID device or at least by the system being unable to detect one) and its image is flagged, as above.

It is then possible to track that vehicle not only forward but also back through successively preceding pictures to find out the preceding history of that vehicle's movements, e.g. where that vehicle was at any preceding time, perhaps when there was an incident. Because the pictures are recorded, they can be used as evidence, e.g. identifying the vehicle at the incident with the vehicle tracked to a later time when it can be identified and possibly intercepted.

In all cases, the computation centre can flag one or more vehicle images, each with a unique flag (e.g. with a serial number and/or with a date/time index, e.g. of the date/time point when the vehicle's image was first flagged). The flag may include ID data relating to the vehicle.

The system may be able (e.g. depending upon its resolution, sensitivity and/or possibly other factors) to determine for an image the colour, temperature, shape, exhaust emission analysis and/or other characteristics of the appertaining vehicle, the more easily and/or reliably to track the image from one refreshment of the picture to the next. For this purpose, the observation may be visual, infrared, radar and/or some combination of these and/or other types. The system may utilise different characteristics and/or types and/or combinations thereof at different times (e.g. for the same image), possibly depending on whether a particular image is flagged, possibly switching over from one such mode to another upon flagging of a particular image, possibly only in relation to that image or those images within an area local to that image, e.g. an area of the picture substantially less than the whole picture, or an area of the tract of land substantially less than the whole tract under surveillance, e.g. less than 20% (possibly less than 10%) of the whole area, or of each of the length and breadth of the area.

By using a mode wilh a sufficient number of appropriate characteristics, the system may be able to carry out a search through the picture and pick up the reappearing image of a vehicle temporarily obscured, e.g. by travelling through a tunnel or going into an underground car park. For, for example, a tunnel, the system may have programmed into it a plan of the tunnel and/or the positions of its entrance/s and exit/s and/or may make use of (e.g. velocity) vectors of its immediately preceding travel.

Relating to the above, a similar system may be applied to tracking people, e.g. using observation by CCTV, possibly in conjunction with facial recognition and/or recording (e.g. in a similar manner to using a vehicles ID as mentioned above, e.g. for tagged people), or even (e.g. tagged) animals (including birds and fish), e.g. in groups (including herds, flocks and so on).

Another aspect of the invention provides a tracking system comprising camera-like observation means adapted to form a picture substantially continuous in time of a field of view (e.g. a tract of land, e.g. part of the real or actual terrain) in which objects can move, means to identify the global position in the field of view corresponding to any point in the picture and/or vice versa, whereby to identify the global positions of objects in the field of view appertaining to respective images in the picture and/or vice versa, and means to track the movement of such an image in the picture and hence ascertain the global position in the field of view at any time of the appertaining object.

Another aspect of the invention provides a tracking system comprising camera-like observation means adapted to form a picture of a field of view with images in that picture appertaining to respective objects in the field of view, the system comprising means to upload to the observation means the global position of a chosen object in the field of view, and to receive this uploaded position and use it to identify the image appertaining to the chosen object in the picture, to flag the identified image and track the flagged image and/or means to receive (usually directly from the observation means, but it could be by way of computing means, e.g. at a computation centre connected to the observation means) the global position of an object in the field of view appertaining to a tracked flagged image in the picture. In the embodiments described, the image is flagged for tracking. Preferably, the system is adapted to flag a plurality of such images to track them individually at the same time, (i.e. simultaneously, or at least concurrently, or at least at overlapping times.) In vahous embodiments, the system may comprise any one cr more of the following features: * means to upload (or least receive) an indication of the global position in the field of view of a chosen said object and preferably thereby identify the appertaining said image; * means to transmit an indication of the global position in the field of view corresponding to a chosen said image and thereby identify the appertaining said object; * means to produce from a chosen said image an indication of the global position in the field of view of the appertaining said object and transmit this indication. In the embodiments herein, this thereby allows identification of the appertaining said object.

* means to flag such an image to track it among other images; * means to flag with a unique flag each of a plurality of such images; * the system is adapted for said objects to be land vehicles; * means to ascertain IDs (e.g. VIN and/or number plate number) for vehicles at a particular place and use an ID so ascertained at a particular time (and place) to identify a vehicle for flagging its appertaining said image for tracking as aforesaid; * means to store a record of the picture as it changes over time; * means to flag a said image and to receive and associale with a flagged image an ID of the appertaining vehicle; * means to flag a said image and to provide in the picture an image of a reader in the field of view adapted to read IDs of vehicles, such that the absolute position of the reader is known to the tracking system, means to recognise when a flagged image is so positioned in relation to the reader image that the reader will be reading the ID of the appertaining vehicle, and means to upload the ID read at that time and associate it with the flagged image.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of tracking an object, in which there is used any such tracking system.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of tracking an object, in which a camera-like observation means is used to form a picture substantially continuous in time of a field of view in which objects can move, by use of means to identify the global position in the field of view corresponding to any point in the picture and/or vice versa there are identified the global 5 positions of objects in the field of view to which images in the picture appertain and/or vice versa, and there is tracked the movement of such an image in the picture and hence there is ascertained the global position in the field of view at any time of the appertaining object.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of tracking an object in which a camera-like observation means is used to form a picture of a field of view with images in that picture appertaining to respective objects in the field of view, in which method there is uploaded to the observation means the global position of a chosen object in the field of view, this uploaded position is received and used to identify the image appertaining to the chosen object in the picture, the identified image is flagged and the flagged image is tracked and/or in which method there is downloaded the global position of an object in the field of view appertaining to a tracked flagged image in the picture.

In vahous embodiments, the method may comprise any one or more of the following features: * there is received an indication of the global position in the field of view of a chosen said object and thereby there is identified the appertaining said image.

* there is produced from a chosen said image and transmitted an indication of the global postion in the field of view appertaining to that mage. In the embodiments herein this thereby allows identification of the appertaining said object.

1 5 * a said image is flagged and is tracked among other said images.

* each of a plurality of said images is flagged with a unique flag.

* said objects are land vehicles.

* IDs for vehicles are ascertained at a particular place and an ID so ascertained at a particular tme is used to identify a vehicle for flagging its said image for tracking as aforesaid.

* a record is stored of the picture as it changes over time.

* a said image is flagged and there is received and associated with it an ID of the appertaining vehicle.

* there is provided in the picture an image of a reader in the field of view adapted to read IDs of vehicles, such that the absolute position of the reader is known to the tracking system, the system recognises when a flagged image is so positioned in relation to the reader image that the reader will be reading the ID of the appertaining vehicle, and the ID read at that time is uploaded and associated with the flagged image.

Another aspect of the invention provides a process comprising vehicle identification, e.g. including use of any such system or method of tracking, e.g. a process of tracking, identifying, finding and/or intercepting a vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made by way of example to the accompanying drawings, in which: 3t) Figure lisa schematic plan view of a tract of land being monitored by an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic view of various systems embodying the invention; and Figure 3 is a schematic view of a visual display (picture) of a surveillance in progress of the tract of land, in embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings, identical references refer to the same item in the same Figure or different Figures or items that are identical or similar or have similar functions, and references with the same first two digits refer to items that are identical or similar or have similar or related functions.

Referring to the drawings, a tracking system 10 comprises camera-like observation means 12 adapted to form (by visible, infrared and/or radar reception 13) a picture 14 substantially continuous in time of a field of view 16 (a tract of land 16) in which objects 18 (vehicles 18) can move, means 20 to identify the global position 22 in the field of vew 16 corresponding to any point 24 in the picture 14 and/or vice versa (i.e. the point 24 in the picture 14 corresponding to any global position 22 in the field of view 16), whereby to identify the global positions 22 of objects 18 in the field of view 16 appertaining to respective images 26 in the picture 14 and/or vice versa (i.e. images 26 in the picture 14 appertaining to the global positions 22 of respective objects 18 in the field of view 16), and means 26 to track the movement of such an image 26 in the picture 14 and hence ascertain the global position 22 in the field of view 16 at any time of the appertaining object 18.

The system 10 comprises means 30 to receive (indirectly from means 20) an indication 32 of the global position 22 in the field of view 16 of a chosen said object 18 and thereby identify the appertaining said image 26.

The system 10 also comprises means 34 to produce from a chosen said image 26 an indication 36 of the global position 22 in the field of view 16 of the appertaining said object 18 and transmit this indication 36 to a police car 38.

The system 10 also comprises means 40 to flag a said image 26 (namely image 261) with a flag 42 (shown symbolically as an arrowhead 42) to track it among other said images 26 as it moves in the direction 44 through successive positions 261, 262, 263, 264, corresponding to movement of vehicle 181 in the direction 441 through successive positions 181, 182, 183, 184.

Means 40 are able to flag with a unique flag 42, 4201 and so on each of a plurality of said images 26, 2601 and so on. (The flags 42 etc are shown as geometrical shapes 42 but can simply be codes 42 etc or serial numbers 42 etc; and in a case in which the picture 14 is virtual, the flags 42 etc may simply be codes or values 42 etc in a computer 46, e.g. a computation centre 46 which controls or produces real or virtual picture 14.) The system 10 comprises means 48 to ascertain IDs 50 for vehicles 18 at a particular place 22 and use an ID 50 50 ascertained at a particular time to identify a vehicle 18 for flagging its appertaining said image 261 for tracking as aforesaid; i.e. its flag 42 includes or is associated with (at least virtually in computation centre 46) its ID 50. Thus the system 10 comprises means 42 flag a said image 261 and to receive and associate with such a flagged image 261 the ID 50 of the appertaining vehicle 181. Means 48 comprises a reader 48 to read the ID 50 of vehicle 18 from an RFID device 60 aboard vehicle 18. Reader 48 passes this ID 50 to control unit 62, which receives the vehicle's registration number 64 from ANPR device 66 and transmits both ID 50 and registration number 64 to registration authority central processor and databank 68, which compares these data and, if appropriate, returns a signal 70 to control unit 62 instructing the latter to cause means 56 to upload the ID 52 observation unit 12, as described below.

The system 10 comprises means 52 to store a record of the picture 14 as it changes over time.

The system 10 comprises means 40 to flag a said image 26, observation means 12 which serve also to provide in the picture 14 an image 54 appertaining to reader 48 in the field of view 16 which is adapted to read IDs 50 of vehicles 18, such that the absolute position 22 of the reader48 is known to the tracking system 10, means 28 (which also act as the tracking means 28) to recognise when a flagged image 2601 is so positioned in relation to the reader image 481 (in practice, so that they coincide or ovedap) that the reader 48 will be reading the ID 50 of the appertaining vehicle 18, and means 56 lo upload the ID 50 read at that time and associate it with the flagged image 2601.

Thus the tracking system 10 comprises camera-like observation means 12 adapted to form a picture 14 of a field of view 16 with images 26 in that picture 14 appertaining to respective objects 18 in the field of view 16, with means 56 to upload to the observation means 12 the global position 22 of a chosen object 18 in the field of view 16, and with means 30 to receive this uploaded position 22 and use it to identity the image 2601 appertaining to the chosen object 18 in the picture 14, flag the identified image 2601 and track the flagged image 2601 and/or with means 58 to receive the global position 22 of an object 18 in the field of view 16 appertaining to a tracked flagged image 26 in the picture 14.

All of the above-mentioned scenarios may be put into practice using these embodiments.

It) In an appropriate scenario, the means 58 may also function to be focused (by an officer in police car 38) on vehicle 18 and obtain the relative position 221 of vehicle 18 from police car 38 in order to upload to observation means 12 this position together with the (absolute) global position of police car 38, in order that computation centre 46 can calculate the global posiflon 22 vehicle 18.

Many variations of the invention and embodiments herein described will be apparent to people skilled in the art. For example, teatures of the different embodiments disclosed herein (including the imported contents ot the specifications of the co-pending applications) may be omitted, selected, combined or exchanged in order to form further embodiments. Again, where a preference or particularisation is stated, there is implicit the possibility of its negative, i.e. a case in which that preference or particularisation is absent. The invention is considered to extend to any new and inventive embodiments formed by said variations, further embodiments and cases.

Claims

<claim-text>CLAIMS1. A tracking system comprising camera-like observation means adapted to form a picture substantially continuous in time of a field of view in which objects can move, means to identify the global position in the field of view corresponding to any point in the picture and/or vice versa, whereby to identify the global positions of objects in the field of view appertaining to respective images in the picture and/or vice versa, and means to track the movement of such an image in the picture and hence ascertain the global position in the field of view at any time of the appertaining object.</claim-text> <claim-text>2. A system as claimed in claim 1, comprising means to receive an indication of the global position in the field of view of a chosen said object and thereby identify the appertaining said image.</claim-text> <claim-text>3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, comprising means to produce from a chosen said image an indication of the global 1 0 position in the field of view of the appertaining said object and transmit this indication.</claim-text> <claim-text>4. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means to flag a said image to track it among other said images.</claim-text> <claim-text>5. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means to flag with a unique flag each of a plurality of said images.</claim-text> <claim-text>6. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, which is adapted for said objects to be land vehicles.</claim-text> <claim-text>7. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, comphsing means to ascertain IDs for vehicles at a parficular place and use an ID so ascertained at a particular time to identify a vehicle for flagging its appertaining said image for tracking as aforesaid.</claim-text> <claim-text>8. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means to store a record of the picture as it changes over time.</claim-text> <claim-text>9. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means to flag a said image and to receive and associate with a flagged image an ID of the appertaining vehicle.</claim-text> <claim-text>10. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising means to hag a said image and to provide in the picture an image of a reader in the field of view adapted to read IDs of vehicles, such that the absolute position of the reader is known to the tracking system, means to recognise when a flagged image is so positioned in relation to the reader image that the reader will be reading the ID of the appertaining vehicle, and means to upload the ID read at that time and associate it with the flagged image.</claim-text> <claim-text>11. A tracking system comprising camera-like observation means adapted to form a picture of a field of view with images in that picture appertaining to respective objects in the field of view, the system comphsing means to upload to the observation means the global pcsition of a chosen object in the field of view, and to receive this uploaded position and use it to identify the image appertaining to the chosen object in the picture, flag the identified image and track the flagged image and/or means to receive the global position of an object in the field of view appertaining to a tracked flagged image in the picture.</claim-text> <claim-text>12. A system as claimed in claim 11, having the features of any one or more of claims 2 to 10.</claim-text> <claim-text>13. A tracking system substantially according to any example hereinbefore described.</claim-text> <claim-text>14. A tracking system substantially according to any example hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.</claim-text> <claim-text>15. A method of tracking an object, in which there is used a tracking system as claimed in any preceding claim.</claim-text> <claim-text>16. A method of tracking an object, in which a camera-like observation means is used to torm a picture substantially continuous in time of a field of view in which objects can move, by use of means to identify the global position in the field of view corresponding to any point in the picture and/or vice versa there are identified the global positions of objects in the field of view to which images in the picture appertain and/or vice versa, and there is tracked the movement of such an image in the picture and hence there is ascertained the global position in the field of view at any time of the appertaining object.</claim-text> <claim-text>17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or 16, in which there is received an indication of the global position in the field of view of a chosen said object and thereby there is identified the appertaining said image.</claim-text> <claim-text>18. A method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 17, in which there is produced from a chosen said image and 1 0 transmitted an indication of the global position in the field of view appertaining to that image.</claim-text> <claim-text>19. A method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 18, in which a said image is flagged and is tracked among other said images.</claim-text> <claim-text>20. A method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 19, in which each of a plurality of said images is flagged with a unique flag.</claim-text> <claim-text>21. A method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 20, in which said objects are land vehicles.</claim-text> <claim-text>22. A method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 21, in which IDs for vehicles are ascertained at a parcular place and an ID so ascertained at a particular time is used to identify a vehicle for flagging its said image for tracking as aforesaid.</claim-text> <claim-text>23. A method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 22, in which a record is stored of the picture as it changes over time.</claim-text> <claim-text>24. A method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 23, in which a said image is flagged and there is received and associated with it an ID of the appertaining vehicle.</claim-text> <claim-text>25. A method as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 24, in which there is provided in the picture an image of a reader in the field of view adapted to read IDs of vehicles, such that the absolute position of the reader is known to the tracking system, the system recognises when a flagged image is so positioned in relation to the reader image that the reader will be reading the ID of the appertaining vehicle, and the ID read at that time is uploaded and associated with the flagged image.</claim-text> <claim-text>26. A method of tracking an object in which a camera-like observation means is used to form a picture of a field of view with images in that picture appertaining to respective objects in the field of view, in which method there is uploaded to the observation means the global position of a chosen object in the field of view, this uploaded position is received and used to identi' the image appertaining to the chosen object in the picture, the identified image is flagged and the flagged image is tracked and/or in which method there is downloaded the global position of an object in the field of view appertaining to a tracked flagged image in the picture.</claim-text> <claim-text>27. A method as claimed in claim 26, having the features of any one or more of claims 15 or 17 to 25.</claim-text> <claim-text>28. A method of tracking an object, substantially according to any example hereinbefore described.</claim-text> <claim-text>29. A method of tracking an object, substantially according to any example hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 10</claim-text> <claim-text>30. A process comprising vehicle identification including use of a system or method of tracking as claimed in any preceding claim.</claim-text> <claim-text>31. A process comprising vehicle identification, and substantially according to any example hereinbefore described.</claim-text> <claim-text>32. A process comprising vehicle identification, and substantially according to any example hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.</claim-text>