Digital Image Processing

By Raul Bernardino (Dino)

Abstract: Digital image processing methods stems from two principal areas of the applications. The first area namely the improvement of the image for human information and interpretation and secondly, image processing data for storage, transmission, representation for autonomous machine perception.  We will also bring you some historical background of the image processing, scope, and component of image processing.

Introduction: Picture is the most common and convenient means of conveying or transmitting the information. An image or a picture is worth a thousand words. Pictures are concisely conveying information about positions, sizes, background, and inter-relationships between objects. They are representing two- and three-dimensional information that we can recognize as objects. Human beings are good at deriving information from such images, because of our innate visual and mental abilities. It is about 75% of the information received by human is in illustrative or graphical forms.

Background: The historical background is stated that from Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) – the technology advancement organization is a first primer professional society for signal processing scientists and professionals since 1948. Since then, there are several studies being done for the optical technology.

For instance, a group is located in Universidad de la Frontera and their main goal is to develop new optical methodologies and technologies that applied to the image processing in infrared and visible spectrum from live and inert material. The processed information is oriented to propose technological transfer and linkage by alternative solutions for non-destructive and non-invasive diagnostic that allows fast and safe control process in industry and agriculture. Between these photonics methodologies, this group is developing: Optical and digital pattern recognition in visible and infrared region; Infrared thermography image processing applications in fruits; diffractive and polarized images optics; Image processing by optical dynamic bio-speckle applications in seeds. Additionally, they develop optical sensors to agriculture industry is an up-and-coming area from collaborative results of this line. Currently, this line is formed by four researches of Physics Department and Electrical Engineering Department, in three laboratories. Also, this line is interested in to increase the fundamental research, with the training of human resources.

Scope of Image processing: The Scope: The IEEE Transactions on Image Processing covers signal-processing aspects of image processing, imaging systems, and image scanning, display, and printing. It is including a theory, algorithms, and architectures for image coding, filtering, enhancement, restoration, segmentation, and motion estimation; the image formation in tomography, radar, sonar, geophysics, astronomy, microscopy, and crystallography; image scanning, digital half-toning and display, and color reproduction.

This is important for computing professionals to understand how it is processed in order to be able to repair the existing pixel of the images. For instance, in the war scenarios the front line sends digital images to the command center in order to develop a strategy for next movement of combat operation. It will be a cost of life and other resources. Therefore, the images have to be high resolutions and during transmission of the packages or sending data to the destination, data has to be sealed or protected, or even encrypted and in secure mode.

Another example for health care issues such as doctor was not in the place and patient needs urgent prescription from a doctor. He / she (the doctor) can access patient image data from far end. This data image has to be precise and have high quality for diagnosing. Moreover, doctor can use a video conferencing tools to discuss with the team of doctors in ground by using same source of image and determine the diagnoses and so on.

“Most investigators and students actively involved in the image processing and analysis field or those who would like to participate in this field will be pleased to have this handbook as a reference. ...I am sure that this handbook will find its place in most academic radiology department libraries and on the shelf of investigators in the field." -ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY (May 2001)

Reproducible research: The Transactions encourages authors to make their publications reproducible by making all information needed to reproduce the presented results available on-line. This typically requires publishing the code and data used to produce the publication`s figures and tables on a website. It gives other researchers easier access to the work, and facilitates fair comparisons. More information on a practical setup.

Multimedia content: It is now possible to submit for review and publish in Xplore supporting multimedia material such as speech samples, images, movies, matlab code etc. More information under Multimedia Materials at the IEEE Author Digital Tool Box

Digital Image Acquisition: 

The following picture shows how the number of pixels determines the resolution of the image:

Image with 35 pixels

 

Image with 2400 pixels

Conclusion: Image processing is an art work. A professional in this field has to be passion in order to give a maximum result. Pictorials are more informative or rich of the information and it is easy to convey the information to human being. The technology helps human being to capture, process, and record the image information.  It is also helps to reconstruct or to rebuild the current low quality images or captures becomes a better quality objects. Images are also helps to make a precise decision toward the objects.

References list:

Author Digital Tool Box, [Internet]. Available from: http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/authors/authors_journals.html (Accessed: 7 March 2013)

Vandewalle,P. Kovacevic, J., Vetterli, M. (2009), Reproducible Research in Signal Processing - What, why, and how, [Internet].  Available from:

http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/136640 (Accessed: 7 March 2013)

Universidad de la Frontera(2013),  Digital Imaging Processing, [Internet].  Available from: http://www.cefop.cl/research-and-develope/lineas-de-investigacion/procesamiento-de-imagenes/

(Accessed: 7 March 2013)

Ted’sPhotographics (2013) The Science of Photography – Digital Image Processing, [Internet].  Available from:   http://www.ted.photographer.org.uk/photoscience_digital.htm  (Accessed: 7 March 2013)

Wikipedia (2013) Algorithm, [Internet].  Available from: lhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithm (Accessed: 7 March 2013)