Action based video summarization for convenience stores

Given the size and congestion associated with a standard convenience store, it is possible to achieve automated site-wide tracking for each customer via a network of in-store video cameras. For the purposes of reducing customer related shrinkage (theft), it may be advantageous to produce summary videos of the activities associated with each customer. As the customer approaches an exit or checkout station, the cashier could quickly review the associated summery video for the purposes of determining whether or not a theft has taken place. Such a summery video would be automatically generated from clips produced by a network of in-store cameras. The value of the summery videos can be determined based on their brevity and the cashier's ability to detect the presence or absence of a theft event. To this end we propose that a site-wide tracking system coupled with a clip nomination process that is based on a set of action saliency measures be used to produce the desired summery videos.