Event Location: NSH 1507

Abstract: We present an interactive, computational approach for assisting users with visual impairments during photographic documentation of transit problems. Our technique can be  described as a method to improve picture composition, while retaining visual information that is expected to be most relevant. Our system considers the position of the estimated region of interest (ROI) of a photo, and camera orientation.  Saliency maps and Gestalt theory are used for guiding the user towards a more balanced picture. Our current  implementation for mobile phones uses optic flow to update the internal knowledge of the position of the ROI and tilt  sensor readings to correct non horizontal or vertical camera  orientations. Using ground truth labels, we confirmed our method proposes valid strategies for improving image composition. Future work includes an optimized implementation and  user studies.