Damage detection and image alignment based on polygonal representation of objects

A system comprising:

• a communication interface to receive a first image of a geographical area, the first image captured after occurrence of a damage-causing event in the geographical area, wherein the received first image and a second image, including image data of the geographical area prior to the occurrence of a damage-causing event in the geographical area, contain an overlapping portion of the geographical area comprising one or more common objects;
• and
• a controller coupled to the communication interface, the controller comprising a processor for executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to:
• obtain markers for the first image and for the second image, wherein the markers are geometrical shapes corresponding to objects in the first image and in the second image;
• align the first image and the second image according to an alignment procedure comprising deriving outlines for the at least the one or more common objects in the first image and in the second image, and aligning at least some of the outlines in the first image with respective at least some of the outlines in the second image, and excluding at least one of the derived outlines determined to correspond to a respective at least one object, from the one or more common objects in the first image and in the second image, that was damaged during the occurrence of the damage-causing event, wherein aligning the first image and the second image comprises aligning the first image and the second image based on a set of outlines, selected from the derived outlines for the at least the one or more common objects, excluding the at least one of the derived outlines;
• and
• determine damage suffered by an object, from the one or more common objects, based on differences between a first geometrical shape corresponding to the object appearing in the first image and a second geometrical shape corresponding to the object appearing in the second image;
• wherein obtaining the markers for the first image and for the second image comprises:
• deriving outlines for at least the one or more common objects appearing in the first image and in the second image,
• wherein deriving the outlines for the at least the one or more common objects comprises deriving the outlines based on one or more of:
• a learning model to determine the outlines for the at least the one or more common objects, or filtering-based processing to determine the outlines for the at least the one or more common objects,
• wherein determining the damage suffered by the object comprises computing one or more of:
• difference in a first area enclosed by a first outline of the object in the first image and a second area enclosed by a second outline of the object in the second image;
• or
• differences between properties of a first set of line segments of the first outline of the object in the first image and properties of a second set of line segments of the second outline of the object in the second image.

A method for image alignment, the method comprising:

• receiving a first image of a geographical area;
• obtaining a second image of the geographical area, the second image including image data of the geographical area prior to capture of the first image, wherein the first image and the second image contain an overlapping portion comprising one or more common objects;
• obtaining markers for the first image and for the second image, wherein the markers are geometrical shapes corresponding to objects in the first image and in the second image;
• and
• aligning the first image and the second image based on the obtained markers for the first image and the second image,
• wherein obtaining the markers for the first image and for the second image comprises:
• deriving outlines for at least the one or more common objects appearing in the first image and in the second image,
• wherein the first image is captured after occurrence of a damage-causing event in the geographical area, and wherein the second image is captured prior to the occurrence of the damage-causing event in the geographical area, and
• wherein aligning the first image and the second image comprises:
• excluding at least one of the derived outlines determined to correspond to a respective at least one object, from the one or more common objects in the first image and in the second image, that was damaged during the occurrence of the damage-causing event;
• wherein aligning the first image and the second image comprises aligning the first image and the second image based on a set of outlines, selected from the derived outlines for the at least the one or more common objects, excluding the at least one of the derived outlines.