Variational shape matching for shape classification and retrieval

International audienceIn this paper we define a multi-scale distance between shapes based on geodesics in the shape space. The proposed distance, robust to outliers, uses shape matching to compare shapes locally. The multi-scale analysis is introduced in order to address local and global variabilities. The resulting similarity measure is invariant to translation, rotation and scaling independently of constraints or landmarks, but constraints can be added to the approach formulation when needed. An evaluation of the proposed approach is reported for shape classification and shape retrieval on the part B of the MPEG-7 shape database. The proposed approach is shown to significantly outperform previous works and reaches 89.05% of retrieval accuracy and 98.86% of correct classification rate

Improving Shape Retrieval by Integrating AIR and Modified Mutual k

In computer vision, image retrieval remained a significant problem and recent resurgent of image retrieval also relies on other postprocessing methods to improve the accuracy instead of solely relying on good feature representation. Our method addressed the shape retrieval of binary images. This paper proposes a new integration scheme to best utilize feature representation along with contextual information. For feature representation we used articulation invariant representation; dynamic programming is then utilized for better shape matching followed by manifold learning based postprocessing modified mutual kNN graph to further improve the similarity score. We conducted extensive experiments on widely used MPEG-7 database of shape images by so-called bulls-eye score with and without normalization of modified mutual kNN graph which clearly indicates the importance of normalization. Finally, our method demonstrated better results compared to other methods. We also computed the computational time with another graph transduction method which clearly shows that our method is computationally very fast. Furthermore, to show consistency of postprocessing method, we also performed experiments on challenging ORL and YALE face datasets and improved baseline results

Multi-Technique Fusion for Shape-Based Image Retrieval

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is still in its early stages, although several attempts have been made to solve or minimize challenges associated with it. CBIR techniques use such visual contents as color, texture, and shape to represent and index images. Of these, shapes contain richer information than color or texture. However, retrieval based on shape contents remains more difficult than that based on color or texture due to the diversity of shapes and the natural occurrence of shape transformations such as deformation, scaling and orientation. This thesis presents an approach for fusing several shape-based image retrieval techniques for the purpose of achieving reliable and accurate retrieval performance. An extensive investigation of notable existing shape descriptors is reported. Two new shape descriptors have been proposed as means to overcome limitations of current shape descriptors. The first descriptor is based on a novel shape signature that includes corner information in order to enhance the performance of shape retrieval techniques that use Fourier descriptors. The second descriptor is based on the curvature of the shape contour. This invariant descriptor takes an unconventional view of the curvature-scale-space map of a contour by treating it as a 2-D binary image. The descriptor is then derived from the 2-D Fourier transform of the 2-D binary image. This technique allows the descriptor to capture the detailed dynamics of the curvature of the shape and enhances the efficiency of the shape-matching process. Several experiments have been conducted in order to compare the proposed descriptors with several notable descriptors. The new descriptors not only speed up the online matching process, but also lead to improved retrieval accuracy. The complexity and variety of the content of real images make it impossible for a particular choice of descriptor to be effective for all types of images. Therefore, a data- fusion formulation based on a team consensus approach is proposed as a means of achieving high accuracy performance. In this approach a select set of retrieval techniques form a team. Members of the team exchange information so as to complement each other’s assessment of a database image candidate as a match to query images. Several experiments have been conducted based on the MPEG-7 contour-shape databases; the results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed fusion scheme is superior to that achieved by any technique individually

Image enhancement techniques applied to solar feature detection

This dissertation presents the development of automatic image enhancement techniques for solar feature detection. The new method allows for detection and tracking of the evolution of filaments in solar images. Series of H-alpha full-disk images are taken in regular time intervals to observe the changes of the solar disk features. In each picture, the solar chromosphere filaments are identified for further evolution examination. The initial preprocessing step involves local thresholding to convert grayscale images into black-and-white pictures with chromosphere granularity enhanced. An alternative preprocessing method, based on image normalization and global thresholding is presented. The next step employs morphological closing operations with multi-directional linear structuring elements to extract elongated shapes in the image. After logical union of directional filtering results, the remaining noise is removed from the final outcome using morphological dilation and erosion with a circular structuring element. Experimental results show that the developed techniques can achieve excellent results in detecting large filaments and good detection rates for small filaments. The final chapter discusses proposed directions of the future research and applications to other areas of solar image processing, in particular to detection of solar flares, plages and sunspots

3D shape matching and registration : a probabilistic perspective

Dense correspondence is a key area in computer vision and medical image analysis. It has applications in registration and shape analysis. In this thesis, we develop a technique to recover dense correspondences between the surfaces of neuroanatomical objects over heterogeneous populations of individuals. We recover dense correspondences based on 3D shape matching. In this thesis, the 3D shape matching problem is formulated under the framework of Markov Random Fields (MRFs). We represent the surfaces of neuroanatomical objects as genus zero voxel-based meshes. The surface meshes are projected into a Markov random field space. The projection carries both geometric and topological information in terms of Gaussian curvature and mesh neighbourhood from the original space to the random field space. Gaussian curvature is projected to the nodes of the MRF, and the mesh neighbourhood structure is projected to the edges. 3D shape matching between two surface meshes is then performed by solving an energy function minimisation problem formulated with MRFs. The outcome of the 3D shape matching is dense point-to-point correspondences. However, the minimisation of the energy function is NP hard. In this thesis, we use belief propagation to perform the probabilistic inference for 3D shape matching. A sparse update loopy belief propagation algorithm adapted to the 3D shape matching is proposed to obtain an approximate global solution for the 3D shape matching problem. The sparse update loopy belief propagation algorithm demonstrates significant efficiency gain compared to standard belief propagation. The computational complexity and convergence property analysis for the sparse update loopy belief propagation algorithm are also conducted in the thesis. We also investigate randomised algorithms to minimise the energy function. In order to enhance the shape matching rate and increase the inlier support set, we propose a novel clamping technique. The clamping technique is realized by combining the loopy belief propagation message updating rule with the feedback from 3D rigid body registration. By using this clamping technique, the correct shape matching rate is increased significantly. Finally, we investigate 3D shape registration techniques based on the 3D shape matching result. Based on the point-to-point dense correspondences obtained from the 3D shape matching, a three-point based transformation estimation technique is combined with the RANdom SAmple Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm to obtain the inlier support set. The global registration approach is purely dependent on point-wise correspondences between two meshed surfaces. It has the advantage that the need for orientation initialisation is eliminated and that all shapes of spherical topology. The comparison of our MRF based 3D registration approach with a state-of-the-art registration algorithm, the first order ellipsoid template, is conducted in the experiments. These show dense correspondence for pairs of hippocampi from two different data sets, each of around 20 60+ year old healthy individuals

Multi-Modal Enhancement Techniques for Visibility Improvement of Digital Images

Image enhancement techniques for visibility improvement of 8-bit color digital images based on spatial domain, wavelet transform domain, and multiple image fusion approaches are investigated in this dissertation research. In the category of spatial domain approach, two enhancement algorithms are developed to deal with problems associated with images captured from scenes with high dynamic ranges. The first technique is based on an illuminance-reflectance (I-R) model of the scene irradiance. The dynamic range compression of the input image is achieved by a nonlinear transformation of the estimated illuminance based on a windowed inverse sigmoid transfer function. A single-scale neighborhood dependent contrast enhancement process is proposed to enhance the high frequency components of the illuminance, which compensates for the contrast degradation of the mid-tone frequency components caused by dynamic range compression. The intensity image obtained by integrating the enhanced illuminance and the extracted reflectance is then converted to a RGB color image through linear color restoration utilizing the color components of the original image. The second technique, named AINDANE, is a two step approach comprised of adaptive luminance enhancement and adaptive contrast enhancement. An image dependent nonlinear transfer function is designed for dynamic range compression and a multiscale image dependent neighborhood approach is developed for contrast enhancement. Real time processing of video streams is realized with the I-R model based technique due to its high speed processing capability while AINDANE produces higher quality enhanced images due to its multi-scale contrast enhancement property. Both the algorithms exhibit balanced luminance, contrast enhancement, higher robustness, and better color consistency when compared with conventional techniques. In the transform domain approach, wavelet transform based image denoising and contrast enhancement algorithms are developed. The denoising is treated as a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimator problem; a Bivariate probability density function model is introduced to explore the interlevel dependency among the wavelet coefficients. In addition, an approximate solution to the MAP estimation problem is proposed to avoid the use of complex iterative computations to find a numerical solution. This relatively low complexity image denoising algorithm implemented with dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) produces high quality denoised images