YOLOv8 Analysis for Vehicle Classification Under Various Image Conditions

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to detect vehicle types in various image conditions using YOLOv8n, YOLOv8s, and YOLOv8m with augmentation. Methods: This research utilizes the YOLOv8 method on the DAWN dataset. The method involves using pre-trained Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) to process the images and output the bounding boxes and classes of the detected objects. Additionally, data augmentation applied to improve the model's ability to recognize vehicles from different directions and viewpoints. Result: The mAP values for the test results are as follows: Without data augmentation, YOLOv8n achieved approximately 58%, YOLOv8s scored around 68.5%, and YOLOv8m achieved roughly 68.9%. However, after applying horizontal flip data augmentation, YOLOv8n's mAP increased to about 60.9%, YOLOv8s improved to about 62%, and YOLOv8m excelled with a mAP of about 71.2%. Using horizontal flip data augmentation improves the performance of all three YOLOv8 models. The YOLOv8m model achieves the highest mAP value of 71.2%, indicating its high effectiveness in detecting objects after applying horizontal flip augmentation. Novelty: This research introduces novelty by employing the latest version of YOLO, YOLOv8, and comparing its performance with YOLOv8n, YOLOv8s, and YOLOv8m. The use of data augmentation techniques, such as horizontal flip, to increase data variation is also novel in expanding the dataset and improving the model's ability to recognize objects.