1. A method for video-based object tracking, said method comprising: detecting an initial instance of an object of interest in video captured of a scene being monitored; establishing a representation of a target object from said initial instance of said object of interest; determining a set of dominant motion trajectory characteristics of said target object by selecting a trajectory from a set of candidate trajectories by at least one of: manually inputting said set of dominant motion trajectory characteristics; determining, a priori, said set of dominant motion trajectory characteristics from at least one of a plurality of known motion patterns in said scene and applying a calibration procedure; and learning said set of dominant motion trajectory characteristics by applying a learning algorithm to at least one of a plurality of sets of previously known trajectories of objects traversing said scene; and determining a frame-by-frame location of said target object in order to track said target object in said video using said set of dominant motion trajectory characteristics, wherein said determining said frame-by-frame location of said target object comprises at least one of: utilizing said set of dominant motion trajectory characteristics to limit a total of all possible locations of said target object to a subset of candidate locations for tracking said target object; utilizing said set of dominant motion trajectory characteristics to refine at least one tracking parameter used to track said target object; and utilizing said set of dominant motion trajectory characteristics to smooth a trajectory of said target object derived from tracking said target object.