34,283 research outputs found
Multi-object segmentation using coupled nonparametric shape and relative pose priors
We present a new method for multi-object segmentation in a maximum a posteriori estimation framework. Our method is motivated by the observation that neighboring or coupling objects in images generate configurations and co-dependencies which could potentially aid in segmentation if properly exploited. Our approach employs coupled shape and inter-shape pose priors that are computed using training images in a nonparametric multi-variate kernel density estimation framework. The coupled shape prior is obtained by estimating the joint shape distribution of multiple objects and the inter-shape pose priors are modeled via standard moments. Based on such statistical models, we formulate an optimization problem for segmentation, which we solve by an algorithm based on active contours. Our technique provides significant improvements in the segmentation of weakly contrasted objects in a number of applications. In particular for medical image analysis, we use our method to extract brain Basal Ganglia structures, which are members of a complex multi-object system posing a challenging segmentation problem. We also apply our technique to the problem of handwritten character segmentation. Finally, we use our method to segment cars in urban scenes
Coupled nonparametric shape priors for segmentation of multiple basal ganglia structures
This paper presents a new method for multiple structure segmentation,
using a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation framework,
based on prior shape densities involving nonparametric multivariate
kernel density estimation of multiple shapes. Our method is motivated
by the observation that neighboring or coupling structures
in medical images generate configurations and co-dependencies
which could potentially aid in segmentation if properly exploited.
Our technique allows simultaneous segmentation of multiple objects,
where highly contrasted, easy-to-segment structures can help
improve the segmentation of weakly contrasted objects. We demonstrate
the effectiveness of our method on both synthetic images and
real magnetic resonance images (MRI) for segmentation of basal
ganglia structures
Coupled non-parametric shape and moment-based inter-shape pose priors for multiple basal ganglia structure segmentation
This paper presents a new active contour-based, statistical method for simultaneous volumetric segmentation of multiple subcortical structures in the brain. In biological tissues, such as the human brain, neighboring structures exhibit co-dependencies which can aid in segmentation, if properly analyzed and modeled. Motivated by this observation, we formulate the segmentation problem as a maximum a posteriori estimation problem, in which we incorporate statistical prior models on the shapes and inter-shape (relative) poses of the structures of interest. This provides a principled mechanism to bring high level information about the shapes and the relationships of anatomical structures into the segmentation problem. For learning the prior densities we use a nonparametric multivariate kernel density estimation framework. We combine these priors with data in a variational framework and develop an active contour-based iterative segmentation algorithm.
We test our method on the problem of volumetric segmentation of basal ganglia structures in magnetic resonance (MR) images.
We present a set of 2D and 3D experiments as well as a quantitative performance analysis. In addition, we perform a comparison to several existent segmentation methods and demonstrate the improvements provided by our approach in terms of segmentation accuracy
Nonparametric joint shape learning for customized shape modeling
We present a shape optimization approach to compute patient-specific models in customized prototyping applications. We design a coupled shape prior to model the transformation between a related pair of surfaces, using a nonparametric joint probability density estimation. The coupled shape prior forces with the help of application-specific data forces and smoothness forces drive a surface deformation
towards a desired output surface. We demonstrate the usefulness of the method for generating customized shape models in applications of hearing aid design and pre-operative to intra-operative anatomic surface estimation
Deep Learning for Semantic Part Segmentation with High-Level Guidance
In this work we address the task of segmenting an object into its parts, or
semantic part segmentation. We start by adapting a state-of-the-art semantic
segmentation system to this task, and show that a combination of a
fully-convolutional Deep CNN system coupled with Dense CRF labelling provides
excellent results for a broad range of object categories. Still, this approach
remains agnostic to high-level constraints between object parts. We introduce
such prior information by means of the Restricted Boltzmann Machine, adapted to
our task and train our model in an discriminative fashion, as a hidden CRF,
demonstrating that prior information can yield additional improvements. We also
investigate the performance of our approach ``in the wild'', without
information concerning the objects' bounding boxes, using an object detector to
guide a multi-scale segmentation scheme. We evaluate the performance of our
approach on the Penn-Fudan and LFW datasets for the tasks of pedestrian parsing
and face labelling respectively. We show superior performance with respect to
competitive methods that have been extensively engineered on these benchmarks,
as well as realistic qualitative results on part segmentation, even for
occluded or deformable objects. We also provide quantitative and extensive
qualitative results on three classes from the PASCAL Parts dataset. Finally, we
show that our multi-scale segmentation scheme can boost accuracy, recovering
segmentations for finer parts.Comment: 11 pages (including references), 3 figures, 2 table
Data-Driven Shape Analysis and Processing
Data-driven methods play an increasingly important role in discovering
geometric, structural, and semantic relationships between 3D shapes in
collections, and applying this analysis to support intelligent modeling,
editing, and visualization of geometric data. In contrast to traditional
approaches, a key feature of data-driven approaches is that they aggregate
information from a collection of shapes to improve the analysis and processing
of individual shapes. In addition, they are able to learn models that reason
about properties and relationships of shapes without relying on hard-coded
rules or explicitly programmed instructions. We provide an overview of the main
concepts and components of these techniques, and discuss their application to
shape classification, segmentation, matching, reconstruction, modeling and
exploration, as well as scene analysis and synthesis, through reviewing the
literature and relating the existing works with both qualitative and numerical
comparisons. We conclude our report with ideas that can inspire future research
in data-driven shape analysis and processing.Comment: 10 pages, 19 figure
Mapping and classification of ecologically sensitive marine habitats using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery and object-based image analysis (OBIA)
Nowadays, emerging technologies, such as long-range transmitters, increasingly miniaturized components for positioning, and enhanced imaging sensors, have led to an upsurge in the availability of new ecological applications for remote sensing based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), sometimes referred to as “drones”. In fact, structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry coupled with imagery acquired by UAVs offers a rapid and inexpensive tool to produce high-resolution orthomosaics, giving ecologists a new way for responsive, timely, and cost-effective monitoring of ecological processes. Here, we adopted a lightweight quadcopter as an aerial survey tool and object-based image analysis (OBIA) workflow to demonstrate the strength of such methods in producing very high spatial resolution maps of sensitive marine habitats. Therefore, three different coastal environments were mapped using the autonomous flight capability of a lightweight UAV equipped with a fully stabilized consumer-grade RGB digital camera. In particular we investigated a Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadow, a rocky coast with nurseries for juvenile fish, and two sandy areas showing biogenic reefs of Sabelleria alveolata. We adopted, for the first time, UAV-based raster thematic maps of these key coastal habitats, produced after OBIA classification, as a new method for fine-scale, low-cost, and time saving characterization of sensitive marine environments which may lead to a more effective and efficient monitoring and management of natural resource
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