Learning Multi-instance Sub-pixel Point Localization

Abstract

In this work, we propose a novel approach that allows for the end-to-end learning of multi-instance point detection with inherent sub-pixel precision capabilities. To infer unambiguous localization estimates, our model relies on three components: the continuous prediction capabilities of offset-regression-based models, the finer-grained spatial learning ability of a novel continuous heatmap matching loss function introduced to that effect, and the prediction sparsity ability of count-based regularization. We demonstrate strong sub-pixel localization accuracy on single molecule localization microscopy and checkerboard corner detection, and improved sub-frame event detection performance in sport videos.