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Argoverse Detection Dataset

docs/en/datasets/detect/argoverse.md

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Argoverse Dataset

The Ultralytics Argoverse dataset (Argoverse-HD) is a 2D object detection dataset of 54,446 labeled autonomous-driving images — 39,384 for training and 15,062 for validation — across 8 classes: person, bicycle, car, motorcycle, bus, truck, traffic light, and stop sign. The images are captured from a vehicle's ring-front-center camera, and the annotations come from Carnegie Mellon University's streaming-perception project, built on Argo AI's Argoverse 1.1 driving data. It is a large, real-world benchmark for training computer vision models to detect road objects in self-driving scenarios.

!!! note "Manual download required"

The Argoverse-HD `*.zip` file (~31.5 GB) needed for training was removed from Amazon S3 after the shutdown of Argo AI by Ford. It is available for manual download from [Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1st9qW3BeIwQsnR0t8mRpvbsSWIo16ACi/view?usp=drive_link) — automatic download will not work, so download the archive before training.

Key Features

  • 8 object-detection classes: person, bicycle, car, motorcycle, bus, truck, traffic light, and stop sign.
  • 54,446 labeled images — 39,384 for training and 15,062 for validation — plus an unlabeled test split reserved for the eval.ai challenge.
  • ~31.5 GB of high-resolution ring-front-center camera frames captured in urban autonomous-driving scenes.
  • Annotations are converted to YOLO format automatically on first use, so the dataset trains directly with Ultralytics YOLO detection models.

Dataset Structure

The Argoverse-HD dataset is split into three predefined subsets, defined by the Argoverse.yaml configuration:

SplitImagesLabels
Train39,384Yes
Validation15,062Yes
TestUnlabeled (eval.ai challenge)

All images share the same 8 object classes (indices 0–7): person, bicycle, car, motorcycle, bus, truck, traffic light, and stop sign.

!!! tip "Automatic YOLO conversion"

After the manual download, Ultralytics converts the original Argoverse-HD annotations into YOLO detection labels automatically the first time you train, so no manual preprocessing is required.

Applications

The Argoverse-HD dataset supports a range of object detection applications in autonomous driving:

  • Self-driving perception — detect vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists from a forward-facing camera to support autonomous-vehicle navigation.
  • Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) — recognize traffic lights and stop signs for real-time driver alerts.
  • Traffic monitoring — count and track road users in urban scenes for smart-city analytics.
  • Research and prototyping — a large, real-world benchmark for learning model training and prediction on driving data.

Dataset YAML

A YAML (Yet Another Markup Language) file defines the dataset configuration, including paths, classes, and other relevant details. For the Argoverse dataset, the Argoverse.yaml file is maintained at https://github.com/ultralytics/ultralytics/blob/main/ultralytics/cfg/datasets/Argoverse.yaml.

!!! example "ultralytics/cfg/datasets/Argoverse.yaml"

```yaml
--8<-- "ultralytics/cfg/datasets/Argoverse.yaml"
```

Usage

To train a YOLO26n model on the Argoverse dataset for 100 epochs with an image size of 640, use the following code samples. For a comprehensive list of available arguments, refer to the model Training page.

!!! example "Train Example"

=== "Python"

    ```python
    from ultralytics import YOLO

    # Load a model
    model = YOLO("yolo26n.pt")  # load a pretrained model (recommended for training)

    # Train the model
    results = model.train(data="Argoverse.yaml", epochs=100, imgsz=640)
    ```

=== "CLI"

    ```bash
    # Start training from a pretrained *.pt model
    yolo detect train data=Argoverse.yaml model=yolo26n.pt epochs=100 imgsz=640
    ```

Once trained, run inference with the fine-tuned model on new driving images or video:

!!! example "Inference Example"

=== "Python"

    ```python
    from ultralytics import YOLO

    # Load a model
    model = YOLO("path/to/best.pt")  # load an Argoverse fine-tuned model

    # Inference using the model
    results = model.predict("path/to/driving-scene.jpg")
    ```

=== "CLI"

    ```bash
    # Start prediction with a finetuned *.pt model
    yolo detect predict model='path/to/best.pt' imgsz=640 source="path/to/driving-scene.jpg"
    ```

Sample Data and Annotations

The Argoverse-HD dataset contains high-resolution driving images captured from a ring-front-center camera, annotated with 2D bounding boxes for the 8 object classes. Below is an example image from the dataset with its corresponding annotations:

  • Annotated driving scene: This image shows road objects — such as vehicles and pedestrians — labeled with 2D bounding boxes, the format YOLO models learn to predict during training.

Citations and Acknowledgments

The Argoverse-HD 2D detection annotations used in this dataset come from Carnegie Mellon University's streaming-perception work. If you use the dataset in your research or development, please cite:

!!! quote ""

=== "BibTeX"

    ```bibtex
    @inproceedings{li2020towards,
      title={Towards Streaming Perception},
      author={Li, Mengtian and Wang, Yu-Xiong and Ramanan, Deva},
      booktitle={Proceedings of the European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV)},
      pages={473--488},
      year={2020}
    }

    @inproceedings{chang2019argoverse,
      title={Argoverse: 3D Tracking and Forecasting with Rich Maps},
      author={Chang, Ming-Fang and Lambert, John and Sangkloy, Patsorn and Singh, Jagjeet and Bak, Slawomir and Hartnett, Andrew and Wang, Dequan and Carr, Peter and Lucey, Simon and Ramanan, Deva and others},
      booktitle={Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition},
      pages={8748--8757},
      year={2019}
    }
    ```

We would like to acknowledge Carnegie Mellon University for the Argoverse-HD detection annotations and Argo AI for creating the original Argoverse dataset as a valuable resource for the autonomous-driving research community.

FAQ

What is the Argoverse dataset, and what is it used for?

The Ultralytics Argoverse dataset (Argoverse-HD) is a 2D object detection dataset of 54,446 autonomous-driving images across 8 classes — person, bicycle, car, motorcycle, bus, truck, traffic light, and stop sign. It is used to train and evaluate models that detect road objects from a forward-facing vehicle camera, supporting self-driving perception, ADAS, and traffic-monitoring research.

How many classes and images are in the Argoverse dataset?

The Argoverse-HD dataset has 8 classes (person, bicycle, car, motorcycle, bus, truck, traffic light, and stop sign) and 54,446 labeled images — 39,384 for training and 15,062 for validation — plus an unlabeled test split reserved for the eval.ai challenge.

Is the Argoverse dataset 2D or 3D detection in Ultralytics?

In Ultralytics it is a 2D object detection dataset (Argoverse-HD camera frames with 2D bounding boxes), not the 3D-tracking, motion-forecasting, or LiDAR research suite from the broader Argoverse program. You train it with a standard detection model such as yolo26n.pt.

How do I train a YOLO26 model using the Argoverse dataset?

Download the dataset manually first (see below), then train with the Argoverse.yaml configuration file:

!!! example

=== "Python"

    ```python
    from ultralytics import YOLO

    # Load a model
    model = YOLO("yolo26n.pt")  # load a pretrained model (recommended for training)

    # Train the model
    results = model.train(data="Argoverse.yaml", epochs=100, imgsz=640)
    ```

=== "CLI"

    ```bash
    # Start training from a pretrained *.pt model
    yolo detect train data=Argoverse.yaml model=yolo26n.pt epochs=100 imgsz=640
    ```

For a detailed explanation of the arguments, refer to the model Training page.

Where can I download the Argoverse dataset now that it has been removed from Amazon S3?

The Argoverse-HD *.zip file (~31.5 GB), previously hosted on Amazon S3, can now be downloaded manually from Google Drive. Automatic download will not work, so fetch the archive before running your training command.

Can I use the Argoverse dataset with Ultralytics Platform?

Yes. Ultralytics Platform lets you upload and version large datasets like Argoverse-HD, then train and deploy object detection models in the cloud without heavy local setup. You can also browse related datasets in the detection datasets overview.