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Open AccessSystematic Review
Structuring Variability in Human Gait Datasets: A Covariate-Centered Taxonomy and Systematic Review of Image- and Depth-Based Collections
by
João Ferreira Nunes
João Ferreira Nunes
,
Pedro Miguel Moreira
Pedro Miguel Moreira
João Manuel R. S. Tavares
João Manuel R. S. Tavares
1
ADiT-Lab, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
2
Instituto de Ciência e Inovação em Engenharia Mecânica e Engenharia Industrial, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Imaging 2026, 12(7), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging12070334 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 5 June 2026
/
Revised: 13 July 2026
/
Accepted: 16 July 2026
/
Published: 22 July 2026
Abstract
Human gait datasets play a central role in the development and evaluation of computer vision models. However, the current dataset landscape remains highly heterogeneous, with inconsistent reporting of acquisition conditions, user variability, and sensing configurations, which limits reproducibility and hinders principled cross-dataset comparability. In this work, we propose a covariate-centered, modality-agnostic taxonomy for gait datasets, explicitly structuring variability across scene-level, user-level, and sensor-level factors. The proposed framework enables consistent characterization of datasets through a standardized set of covariates (A–R), bridging differences across application domains and sensing modalities. Following a systematic review protocol aligned with PRISMA 2020, we analyze 47 publicly available image- and depth-based human gait datasets spanning healthcare, biometric, and attribute-recognition application domains. Using the proposed taxonomy, we derive a quantitative analysis of covariate coverage, revealing systematic biases in current dataset design.
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Nunes, J.F.; Moreira, P.M.; Tavares, J.M.R.S.
Structuring Variability in Human Gait Datasets: A Covariate-Centered Taxonomy and Systematic Review of Image- and Depth-Based Collections. J. Imaging 2026, 12, 334.
https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging12070334
AMA Style
Nunes JF, Moreira PM, Tavares JMRS.
Structuring Variability in Human Gait Datasets: A Covariate-Centered Taxonomy and Systematic Review of Image- and Depth-Based Collections. Journal of Imaging. 2026; 12(7):334.
https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging12070334
Chicago/Turabian Style
Nunes, João Ferreira, Pedro Miguel Moreira, and João Manuel R. S. Tavares.
2026. "Structuring Variability in Human Gait Datasets: A Covariate-Centered Taxonomy and Systematic Review of Image- and Depth-Based Collections" Journal of Imaging 12, no. 7: 334.
https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging12070334
APA Style
Nunes, J. F., Moreira, P. M., & Tavares, J. M. R. S.
(2026). Structuring Variability in Human Gait Datasets: A Covariate-Centered Taxonomy and Systematic Review of Image- and Depth-Based Collections. Journal of Imaging, 12(7), 334.
https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging12070334
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