An Efficient Object Detection Algorithm Based on Improved YOLOv5 for High-Spatial-Resolution Remote Sensing Images

Abstract

The field of remote sensing information processing places significant research emphasis on object detection (OD) in high-spatial-resolution remote sensing images (HSRIs). The OD task in HSRIs poses additional challenges compared to conventional natural images. These challenges include variations in object scales, complex backgrounds, dense arrangement, and uncertain orientations. These factors contribute to the increased difficulty of OD in HSRIs as compared to conventional images. To tackle the aforementioned challenges, this paper introduces an innovative OD algorithm that builds upon enhancements made to the YOLOv5 framework. The incorporation of RepConv, Transformer Encoder, and BiFPN modules into the original YOLOv5 network leads to improved detection accuracy, particularly for objects of varying scales. The C3GAM module is designed by introducing the GAM attention mechanism to address the interference caused by complex background regions. To achieve precise localization of densely arranged objects, the SIoU loss function is integrated into YOLOv5. The circular smooth label method is used to detect objects with uncertain directions. The effectiveness of the suggested algorithm is confirmed through its application to two commonly utilized datasets, specifically HRSC2016 and UCAS-AOD. The average detection accuracies achieved on these datasets are 90.29% and 90.06% respectively, surpassing the performance of other compared OD algorithms for HSRIs.