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OpenCV (Open Source Computer Vision Library)

OpenCV (Open Source Computer Vision Library) is an open-source computer vision and machine learning software library. OpenCV was built to provide a common infrastructure for computer vision applications and to accelerate the use of machine perception in commercial products. OpenCV is distributed under an Apache 2 licensed product, which allows for both academic and commercial use.

OpenCV is designed for computational efficiency and with a strong focus on real-time applications. It includes over 2500 optimized algorithms, which cover a wide range of areas in computer vision and machine learning. These algorithms can be used for various tasks such as face detection and recognition, object identification, classification of human actions in videos, camera motion tracking, moving object tracking, 3D model extraction, image stitching, and much more.

The library is cross-platform, running on Windows, Linux, macOS, and mobile operating systems including Android and iOS. It supports multiple programming languages including C++, Python, Java, and has interfaces for C and MATLAB. OpenCV’s versatility and the breadth of its functionalities make it a popular choice among developers and researchers in the field of computer vision.

OpenCV was developed by Intel and later supported by Willow Garage (which shut down in early 2014) and Itseez (which was acquired by Intel in 2016). Today, OpenCV is operated by the non-profit Open Source Vision Foundation, which plays a crucial role in managing donations, sponsorships, and the overall direction of the project.

Today, OpenCV is supported by a diverse range of partners and sponsors, including major corporations, development partners, and through community contributions. Notable supporters include:

Intel: Intel has played a significant role in the development of OpenCV, starting the project and continuing to optimize the library for Intel processors. Intel’s OpenVINO is also used as one of the backends for OpenCV.
Google: Google supports OpenCV through the Google Summer of Code program, where OpenCV receives interns to work on new projects funded by Google. This program has been crucial for adding new features to the library.
Futurewei and Huawei: These companies have supported OpenCV’s efforts through cash donations, contributing to the library’s development and maintenance.
Orbbec: As a development partner, Orbbec has helped OpenCV enable native support for their depth cameras, enhancing the library’s capabilities in depth sensing and 3D reconstruction.
Khadas: Khadas has enabled the acceleration of the OpenCV DNN Module for their Neural Processing Unit (NPU), improving the performance of deep learning models within OpenCV.
Microsoft Azure, Orbbec, Khadas, and Roboflow: These companies have sponsored the OpenCV AI Competition, demonstrating their commitment to fostering innovation and talent in the computer vision community.

Since its initial release in June 2000, OpenCV has seen widespread adoption in academia and industry, being used in applications ranging from security and surveillance to automotive and healthcare.

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