xbob.db.gbu 1.2.1

Database Access API of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly (GBU) image database for Bob

This package contains the access API and descriptions for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Database. The actual raw data for the database should be downloaded from the original URL. This package only contains the Bob accessor methods to use the DB directly from python. Note that the default protocols Good, Bad, and Ugly as defined in the URL above will be respected.

Downloading this package

You would normally not install this package unless you are maintaining it. What you would do instead is to tie it in at the package you need to use it. There are a few ways to achieve this:

1. You can add this package as a requirement at the setup.py for your own satellite package or to your Buildout .cfg file, if you prefer it that way. With this method, this package gets automatically downloaded and installed on your working environment, or

2. You can manually download and install this package using commands like easy_install or pip.

The package is available in two different distribution formats:

1. You can download it from PyPI, or

2. You can download it in its source form from its git repository. When you download the version at the git repository, you will need to run a command to recreate the backend SQLite file required for its operation. This means that the database raw files must be installed somewhere in this case. With option 1 you can run in dummy mode and only download the raw data files for the database once you are happy with your setup.

You can mix and match points 1/2 and a/b above based on your requirements. Here are some examples:

Modify your setup.py and download from PyPI

That is the easiest. Edit your setup.py in your satellite package and add the following entry in the install_requires section:

install_requires=[
  ...
  "xbob.db.gbu",
],

Proceed normally with your boostrap/buildout steps and you should be all set. That means you can now import the xbob.db.gbu namespace into your scripts.

Modify your buildout.cfg and download from git

You will need to add a dependence to mr.developer to be able to install from our git repositories. Your buildout.cfg file should contain the following lines:

[buildout]
...
extensions = mr.developer
auto-checkout = *
eggs = bob
       ...
       xbob.db.gbu

[sources]
xbob.db.gbu = git https://github.com/bioidiap/xbob.db.gbu.git
...

Installation of the original image database

To be able to use this database, please have a look at the NIST webpage: http://www.nist.gov/itl/iad/ig/focs.cfm and download: the Multiple Biometric Grand Challenge (MBGC)-V1 image database if you do not have a copy of it yet.

Unfortunately, the directory structure in this image database has changed. If you have an older version of it, and the test:

$ bob_dbmanage.py gbu checkfiles --directory <YOUR_PATH_TO_MBGC-V1>

fails (i.e. reports missing files), you have two possible options:

1. Download the GBU-sigsets.zip file from https://github.com/bioidiap/xbob.db.gbu/downloads, extract the zip to a directory of your choice and call:

   $ bob_dbmanage.py gbu create --recreate --list-directory <YOUR_PATH_TO_THE_XML_LISTS> --rescan-image-directory <YOUR_PATH_TO_MBGC-V1>

(you might need root access to recreate the database)

2. Copy (or link) the images of the MBGC-V1 database into a directory that has the required directory structure by calling:

   $ bob_dbmanage.py gbu copy-image-files --soft-link --original-image-directory <YOUR_PATH_TO_MBGC-V1> --new-image-directory <NEW_IMAGE_PATH_TO_BE_CREATED>

To be sure that the procedure succeeded, please call:

$ bob_dbmanage.py gbu checkfiles --directory <YOUR_PATH_TO_MBGC-V1>

or:

$ bob_dbmanage.py gbu checkfiles --directory <NEW_IMAGE_PATH_TO_BE_CREATED>

afterwards. If this fails again, your copy of the MBGC-V1 database is corrupted, and you might consider to get a new copy of it.

Note

The lists from https://github.com/bioidiap/xbob.db.gbu/downloads contains the file lists as provided by the CSU Face Recognition Resources, see http://www.cs.colostate.edu/facerec/algorithms/baselines2011.php. In these files, the directory structure is adapted to our (the latest?) version of the MBGC-V1 database.