非平稳随机场模型的遥感图像分割

提出一种双随机场模型。通过结合局部的统计量，将一种因果的自回归随机场模型应用于非平稳图像纹理的描述，同时，用马尔可夫随机场给标记场建模可以取得较好的分割效果。通过对实验的分析发现，分割结果仍存在一些错误。因此，在这种模型的基础上，引入了一种新的分类特征(熵率)来改善目标分割的效果。它反映了纹理的高阶相关性，改进了随机场低阶模型的不足。所提出的算法用于遥感图像的城区提取实验。     

Variational viewpoint of the quadratic Markov measure field models: theory and algorithms

We present a framework for image segmentation based on quadratic programming, i.e., by minimization of a quadratic regularized energy linearly constrained. In particular, we present a new variational derivation of the quadratic Markov measure field (QMMF) models, which can be understood as a procedure for regularizing model preferences (memberships or likelihoods). We also present efficient optimization algorithms. In the QMMFs, the uncertainty in the computed regularized probability measure field is controlled by penalizing Gini's coefficient, and hence, it affects the convexity of the quadratic programming problem. The convex case is reduced to the solution of a positive definite linear system, and for that case, an efficient Gauss-Seidel (GS) scheme is presented. On the other hand, we present an efficient projected GS with subspace minimization for optimizing the nonconvex case. We demonstrate the proposal capabilities by experiments and numerical comparisons with interactive two-class segmentation, as well as the simultaneous estimation of segmentation and (parametric and nonparametric) generative models. We present extensions to the original formulation for including color and texture clues, as well as imprecise user scribbles in an interactive framework.     

Active volume models for medical image segmentation

In this paper, we propose a novel predictive model, active volume model (AVM), for object boundary extraction. It is a dynamic "object" model whose manifestation includes a deformable curve or surface representing a shape, a volumetric interior carrying appearance statistics, and an embedded classifier that separates object from background based on current feature information. The model focuses on an accurate representation of the foreground object's attributes, and does not explicitly represent the background. As we will show, however, the model is capable of reasoning about the background statistics thus can detect when is change sufficient to invoke a boundary decision. When applied to object segmentation, the model alternates between two basic operations: 1) deforming according to current region of interest (ROI), which is a binary mask representing the object region predicted by the current model, and 2) predicting ROI according to current appearance statistics of the model. To further improve robustness and accuracy when segmenting multiple objects or an object with multiple parts, we also propose multiple-surface active volume model (MSAVM), which consists of several single-surface AVM models subject to high-level geometric spatial constraints. An AVM's deformation is derived from a linear system based on finite element method (FEM). To keep the model's surface triangulation optimized, surface remeshing is derived from another linear system based on Laplacian mesh optimization (LMO). Thus efficient optimization and fast convergence of the model are achieved by solving two linear systems. Segmentation, validation and comparison results are presented from experiments on a variety of 2-D and 3-D medical images.     

Image segmentation and image models

This paper discusses image segmentation techniques from the standpoint of the assumptions that an image should satisfy in order for a particular technique to be applicable to it. These assumptions, which are often not stated explicitly, can be regarded as (perhaps informal) "models" for classes of images. The paper emphasizes two basic classes of models: statistical models that describe the pixel population in an image or region, and spatial models that describe the decomposition of an image into regions.     

Active contour external force using vector field convolution for image segmentation.

Snakes, or active contours, have been widely used in image processing applications. Typical roadblocks to consistent performance include limited capture range, noise sensitivity, and poor convergence to concavities. This paper proposes a new external force for active contours, called vector field convolution (VFC), to address these problems. VFC is calculated by convolving the edge map generated from the image with the user-defined vector field kernel. We propose two structures for the magnitude function of the vector field kernel, and we provide an analytical method to estimate the parameter of the magnitude function. Mixed VFC is introduced to alleviate the possible leakage problem caused by choosing inappropriate parameters. We also demonstrate that the standard external force and the gradient vector flow (GVF) external force are special cases of VFC in certain scenarios. Examples and comparisons with GVF are presented in this paper to show the advantages of this innovation, including superior noise robustness, reduced computational cost, and the flexibility of tailoring the force field.     

A multiscale random field model for Bayesian image segmentation

Many approaches to Bayesian image segmentation have used maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation in conjunction with Markov random fields (MRF). Although this approach performs well, it has a number of disadvantages. In particular, exact MAP estimates cannot be computed, approximate MAP estimates are computationally expensive to compute, and unsupervised parameter estimation of the MRF is difficult. The authors propose a new approach to Bayesian image segmentation that directly addresses these problems. The new method replaces the MRF model with a novel multiscale random field (MSRF) and replaces the MAP estimator with a sequential MAP (SMAP) estimator derived from a novel estimation criteria. Together, the proposed estimator and model result in a segmentation algorithm that is not iterative and can be computed in time proportional to MN where M is the number of classes and N is the number of pixels. The also develop a computationally efficient method for unsupervised estimation of model parameters. Simulations on synthetic images indicate that the new algorithm performs better and requires much less computation than MAP estimation using simulated annealing. The algorithm is also found to improve classification accuracy when applied to the segmentation of multispectral remotely sensed images with ground truth data.     

Deep supervised hashing using quadratic spherical mutual information for efficient image retrieval

Several deep supervised hashing techniques have been proposed to allow for extracting compact and efficient neural network representations for various tasks. However, many deep supervised hashing techniques ignore several information-theoretic aspects of the process of information retrieval, often leading to sub-optimal results. In this paper, we propose an efficient deep supervised hashing algorithm that optimizes the learned compact codes using an information-theoretic measure, the Quadratic Mutual Information (QMI). The proposed method is adapted to the needs of efficient image hashing and information retrieval leading to a novel information-theoretic measure, the Quadratic Spherical Mutual Information (QSMI). Apart from demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed method under different scenarios and outperforming existing state-of-the-art image hashing techniques, this paper provides a structured way to model the process of information retrieval and develop novel methods adapted to the needs of different applications.     

Medial-based deformable models in nonconvex shape-spaces for medical image segmentation

We explore the application of genetic algorithms (GA) to deformable models through the proposition of a novel method for medical image segmentation that combines GA with nonconvex, localized, medial-based shape statistics. We replace the more typical gradient descent optimizer used in deformable models with GA, and the convex, implicit, global shape statistics with nonconvex, explicit, localized ones. Specifically, we propose GA to reduce typical deformable model weaknesses pertaining to model initialization, pose estimation and local minima, through the simultaneous evolution of a large number of models. Furthermore, we constrain the evolution, and thus reduce the size of the search-space, by using statistically-based deformable models whose deformations are intuitive (stretch, bulge, bend) and are driven in terms of localized principal modes of variation, instead of modes of variation across the entire shape that often fail to capture localized shape changes. Although GA are not guaranteed to achieve the global optima, our method compares favorably to the prevalent optimization techniques, convex/nonconvex gradient-based optimizers and to globally optimal graph-theoretic combinatorial optimization techniques, when applied to the task of corpus callosum segmentation in 50 mid-sagittal brain magnetic resonance images.     

A tree-structured Markov random field model for Bayesian image segmentation

We present a new image segmentation algorithm based on a tree-structured binary MRF model. The image is recursively segmented in smaller and smaller regions until a stopping condition, local to each region, is met. Each elementary binary segmentation is obtained as the solution of a MAP estimation problem, with the region prior modeled as an MRF. Since only binary fields are used, and thanks to the tree structure, the algorithm is quite fast, and allows one to address the cluster validation problem in a seamless way. In addition, all field parameters are estimated locally, allowing for some spatial adaptivity. To improve segmentation accuracy, a split-and-merge procedure is also developed and a spatially adaptive MRF model is used. Numerical experiments on multispectral images show that the proposed algorithm is much faster than a similar reference algorithm based on "flat" MRF models, and its performance, in terms of segmentation accuracy and map smoothness, is comparable or even superior.     

ON MARKOV RANDOM FIELD MODELS FOR SEGMENTATION OF NOISY IMAGES

Markov random field(MRF) models for segmentation of noisy images are discussed. According to the maximum a posteriori criterion, a configuration of an image field is regarded as an optimal estimate of the original scene when its energy is minimized. However, the minimum energy configuration does not correspond to the scene on edges of a given image, which results in errors of segmentation. Improvements of the model are made and a relaxation algorithm based on the improved model is presented using the edge information obtained by a coarse-to-fine procedure. Some examples are presented to illustrate the applicability of the algorithm to segmentation of noisy images.     

A combined Markov random field and wave-packet transform-basedapproach for image segmentation

The author formulates a novel segmentation algorithm which combines the use of Markov random field models for image-modeling with the use of the discrete wavepacket transform for image analysis. Image segmentations are derived and refined at a sequence of resolution levels, using as data selected wave-packet transform images or "channels". The segmentation algorithm is compared with nonmultiresolution Markov random field-based image segmentation algorithms in the context of synthetic image example problems, and found to be both significantly more efficient and effective.     

基于改进差分演化的高效图像分割算法

差分演化算法的实现简单有效,但其搜索能力较弱,对此提出一种基于贝塔分布的控制参数动态设置策略以提高差分演化的优化效果,并将其应用于图像分割问题。首先,将图像的直方图按强度分为两类,并按类内方差、类间方差与总方差总结为待优化的目标函数;然后,使用改进的差分演化算法搜索图像分割目标函数的最优解,其中在每轮迭代中使用贝塔分布动态的设置控制参数。仿真实验表明,该方法获得了较好的优化结果,并获得了较好的图像分割效果。     

基于形变模型的图像分割技术综述

基于形变模型的图像分割技术是近年来兴起的一种新型图像分割方法,已有相当广泛的研究。该技术为如何有效地从图像中分割出不规则对象及自然对象指出了一条佳径。该文简要介绍基于形变模型图像分割技术的基本原理和发展历程。按技术发展的线索介绍各种典型的形变模型表示形式,提出各种表示形式的优缺点,分析基于形变模型的图像分割的各种技术所存在的缺点,并建议了可能的研究方向。     

Self-repelling snakes for topology-preserving segmentation models.

The implicit framework of the level-set method has several advantages when tracking propagating fronts. Indeed, the evolving contour is embedded in a higher dimensional level-set function and its evolution can be phrased in terms of a Eulerian formulation. The ability of this intrinsic method to handle topological changes (merging and breaking) makes it useful in a wide range of applications (fluid mechanics, computer vision) and particularly in image segmentation, the main subject of this paper. Nevertheless, in some applications, this topological flexibility turns out to be undesirable: for instance, when the shape to be detected has a known topology, or when the resulting shape must be homeomorphic to the initial one. The necessity of designing topology-preserving processes arises in medical imaging, for example, in the human cortex reconstruction. It is known that the human cortex has a spherical topology so throughout the reconstruction process this topological feature must be preserved. Therefore, we propose in this paper a segmentation model based on an implicit level-set formulation and on the geodesic active contours, in which a topological constraint is enforced.     

Medical image segmentation using minimal path deformable models with implicit shape priors.

This paper presents a new method for segmentation of medical images by extracting organ contours, using minimal path deformable models incorporated with statistical shape priors. In our approach, boundaries of structures are considered as minimal paths, i.e., paths associated with the minimal energy, on weighted graphs. Starting from the theory of minimal path deformable models, an intelligent "worm" algorithm is proposed for segmentation, which is used to evaluate the paths and finally find the minimal path. Prior shape knowledge is incorporated into the segmentation process to achieve more robust segmentation. The shape priors are implicitly represented and the estimated shapes of the structures can be conveniently obtained. The worm evolves under the joint influence of the image features, its internal energy, and the shape priors. The contour of the structure is then extracted as the worm trail. The proposed segmentation framework overcomes the short-comings of existing deformable models and has been successfully applied to segmenting various medical images.     

一种采用高斯隐马尔可夫随机场模型的遥感图像分类算法

该文研究了无监督遥感图像分类问题。文中构造了图像的隐马尔可夫随机场模型(HiddenMarkov Random Fleid,HMRF),并且提出了基于该模型的图像分类算法。该文采用有限高斯混合模型(Finite Gaussian Mixture,FGM)描述图像像素灰度的条件概率分布,使用EM(Expectation-Maximization)算法解决从不完整数据中估计概率模型参数问题。针对遥感图像分布的不均匀特性,该文提出的算法没有采用固定的马尔可夫随机场模型参数,而是在递归分类算法中分级地调整模型参数以适应区域的变化。实验结果表明了该文算法的有效性,分类算法处理精度高于C-Means聚类算法.。     

一种基于非均匀马尔可夫随机场的图像分割方法

提出了一种新的基于非均匀马尔可夫随机场(MRF)的图像分割算法。基于非均匀马尔可夫随机场的图像分割的关键是对MRF中耦合系数的估计。本文结合四叉树分解提出了一种新的非均匀MRF的耦合系数估计方法。先对图像用传统的MRF分割方法进行预分割,再在预分割的基础上用边缘检测算子检验出预分割图像中的边缘,再利用图像的边缘信息对图像进行四叉树分解,把图像分成不同大小的子块。再根据每个子块的大小,估计出非均匀MRF的耦合系数。实验表明,将本文方法估计出来的耦合系数应用到分割算法中去,能明显改善图像分割的效果,而且具有更好的自适应性。     

一种基于简化马尔可夫随机场的红外图像快速分割方法

分析了传统的基于马尔可夫随机场图像分割算法收敛速度慢和固定加权等缺点,提出了一种基于简化马尔可夫随机场的红外图像快速分割算法。该算法首先对红外图像极大似然初始分割,并利用简化马尔可夫随机场对图像进行建模。在此基础上采用自适应的加权变化形式进行迭代,不但加速了分割算法的收敛速度,而且使得分割效果都大为改善。在真实的飞机和舰艇红外图像上,该算法都取得了较好的分割效果。