A Novel Rate Control Algorithm for Onboard Predictive Coding of Multispectral and Hyperspectral Images

Predictive coding is attractive for compression onboard of spacecrafts thanks to its low computational complexity, modest memory requirements and the ability to accurately control quality on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Traditionally, predictive compression focused on the lossless and near-lossless modes of operation where the maximum error can be bounded but the rate of the compressed image is variable. Rate control is considered a challenging problem for predictive encoders due to the dependencies between quantization and prediction in the feedback loop, and the lack of a signal representation that packs the signal's energy into few coefficients. In this paper, we show that it is possible to design a rate control scheme intended for onboard implementation. In particular, we propose a general framework to select quantizers in each spatial and spectral region of an image so as to achieve the desired target rate while minimizing distortion. The rate control algorithm allows to achieve lossy, near-lossless compression, and any in-between type of compression, e.g., lossy compression with a near-lossless constraint. While this framework is independent of the specific predictor used, in order to show its performance, in this paper we tailor it to the predictor adopted by the CCSDS-123 lossless compression standard, obtaining an extension that allows to perform lossless, near-lossless and lossy compression in a single package. We show that the rate controller has excellent performance in terms of accuracy in the output rate, rate-distortion characteristics and is extremely competitive with respect to state-of-the-art transform coding

Lossless compression of hyperspectral images

Band ordering and the prediction scheme are the two major aspects of hyperspectral imaging which have been studied to improve the performance of the compression system. In the prediction module, we propose spatio-spectral prediction methods. Two non-linear spectral prediction methods have been proposed in this thesis. NPHI (Non-linear Prediction for Hyperspectral Images) is based on a band look-ahead technique wherein a reference band is included in the prediction of pixels in the current band. The prediction technique estimates the variation between the contexts of the two bands to modify the weights computed in the reference band to predict the pixels in the current band. EPHI (Edge-based Prediction for Hyperspectral Images) is the modified NPHI technique wherein an edge-based analysis is used to classify the pixels into edges and non-edges in order to perform the prediction of the pixel in the current band. Three ordering methods have been proposed in this thesis. The first ordering method computes the local and global features in each band to group the bands. The bands in each group are ordered by estimating the compression ratios achieved between the entire band in the group and then ordering them using Kruskal\u27s algorithm. The other two methods of ordering compute the compression ratios between b-neighbors in performing the band ordering

Remote Sensing Data Compression

A huge amount of data is acquired nowadays by different remote sensing systems installed on satellites, aircrafts, and UAV. The acquired data then have to be transferred to image processing centres, stored and/or delivered to customers. In restricted scenarios, data compression is strongly desired or necessary. A wide diversity of coding methods can be used, depending on the requirements and their priority. In addition, the types and properties of images differ a lot, thus, practical implementation aspects have to be taken into account. The Special Issue paper collection taken as basis of this book touches on all of the aforementioned items to some degree, giving the reader an opportunity to learn about recent developments and research directions in the field of image compression. In particular, lossless and near-lossless compression of multi- and hyperspectral images still remains current, since such images constitute data arrays that are of extremely large size with rich information that can be retrieved from them for various applications. Another important aspect is the impact of lossless compression on image classification and segmentation, where a reasonable compromise between the characteristics of compression and the final tasks of data processing has to be achieved. The problems of data transition from UAV-based acquisition platforms, as well as the use of FPGA and neural networks, have become very important. Finally, attempts to apply compressive sensing approaches in remote sensing image processing with positive outcomes are observed. We hope that readers will find our book useful and interestin

Virtually Lossless Compression of Astrophysical Images

We describe an image compression strategy potentially capable of preserving the scientific quality of astrophysical data, simultaneously allowing a consistent bandwidth reduction to be achieved. Unlike strictly lossless techniques, by which moderate compression ratios are attainable, and conventional lossy techniques, in which the mean square error of the decoded data is globally controlled by users, near-lossless methods are capable of locally constraining the maximum absolute error, based on user's requirements. An advanced lossless/near-lossless differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) scheme, recently introduced by the authors and relying on a causal spatial prediction, is adjusted to the specific characteristics of astrophysical image data (high radiometric resolution, generally low noise, etc.). The background noise is preliminarily estimated to drive the quantization stage for high quality, which is the primary concern in most of astrophysical applications. Extensive experimental results of lossless, near-lossless, and lossy compression of astrophysical images acquired by the Hubble space telescope show the advantages of the proposed method compared to standard techniques like JPEG-LS and JPEG2000. Eventually, the rationale of virtually lossless compression, that is, a noise-adjusted lossles/near-lossless compression, is highlighted and found to be in accordance with concepts well established for the astronomers' community

Sparse representation based hyperspectral image compression and classification

Abstract This thesis presents a research work on applying sparse representation to lossy hyperspectral image compression and hyperspectral image classification. The proposed lossy hyperspectral image compression framework introduces two types of dictionaries distinguished by the terms sparse representation spectral dictionary (SRSD) and multi-scale spectral dictionary (MSSD), respectively. The former is learnt in the spectral domain to exploit the spectral correlations, and the latter in wavelet multi-scale spectral domain to exploit both spatial and spectral correlations in hyperspectral images. To alleviate the computational demand of dictionary learning, either a base dictionary trained offline or an update of the base dictionary is employed in the compression framework. The proposed compression method is evaluated in terms of different objective metrics, and compared to selected state-of-the-art hyperspectral image compression schemes, including JPEG 2000. The numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness and competitiveness of both SRSD and MSSD approaches. For the proposed hyperspectral image classification method, we utilize the sparse coefficients for training support vector machine (SVM) and k-nearest neighbour (kNN) classifiers. In particular, the discriminative character of the sparse coefficients is enhanced by incorporating contextual information using local mean filters. The classification performance is evaluated and compared to a number of similar or representative methods. The results show that our approach could outperform other approaches based on SVM or sparse representation. This thesis makes the following contributions. It provides a relatively thorough investigation of applying sparse representation to lossy hyperspectral image compression. Specifically, it reveals the effectiveness of sparse representation for the exploitation of spectral correlations in hyperspectral images. In addition, we have shown that the discriminative character of sparse coefficients can lead to superior performance in hyperspectral image classification.EM201

Compresión sin pérdida de imágenes satelitales multiespectrales e hiperespectrales

En esta tesis se presentan nuevas técnicas de compresión sin pérdida tendientes a reducir el espacio de almacenamiento requerido por imágenes satelitales. Dos tipos principales de imágenes son tratadas: multiespectrales e hiperespectrales. En el caso de imágenes multiespectrales, se desarrolló un compresor no lineal que explota tanto las correlaciones intra como interbanda presentes en la imagen. Este se basa en la transformada wavelet de enteros a enteros y se aplica sobre bloques no solapados de la imagen. Diferentes modelos para las dependencias estadísticas de los coeficientes de detalle de la transformada wavelet son propuestos y analizados. Aquellos coeficientes que se encuentran en las subbandas de detalle fino de la transformada son modelados como una combinación afín de coeficientes vecinos y coeficientes en bandas adyacentes, sujetos a que se encuentren en la misma clase. Este modelo se utiliza para generar predicciones de otros coficientes que ya fueron codificados. La información de clase se genera mediante la cuantización LloydMax, la cual también se utiliza para predecir y como contextos de condicionamiento para codificar los errores de predicción con un codificador aritmético adaptativo. Dado que el ordenamiento de las bandas también afecta la precisión de las predicciones, un nuevo mecanismo de ordenamiento es propuesto basado en los coeficientes de detalle de los últimos dos niveles de la transformada wavelet. Los resultados obtenidos superan a los de otros compresores 2D sin pérdida como PNG, JPEG-LS, SPIHT y JPEG2000, como también a otros compresores 3D como SLSQ-OPT, JPEG-LS diferencial y JPEG2000 para imágenes a color y 3D-SPIHT. El método propuesto provee acceso aleatorio a partes de la imagen, y puede aplicarse para la compresión sin pérdida de otros datos volumétricos. Para las imágenes hiperespectrales, algoritmos como LUT o LAIS-LUT que revisten el estado del arte para la compresión sin pérdida para este tipo de imágenes, explotan la alta correlación espectral de estas imágenes y utilizan tablas de lookup para generar predicciones. A pesar de ello, existen casos donde las predicciones no son buenas. En esta tesis, se propone una modificación a estos algoritmos de lookup permitiendo diferentes niveles de confianza a las tablas de lookup en base a las variaciones locales del factor de escala. Los resultados obtenidos son altamente satisfactorios y mejores a los de LUT y LAIS-LUT. Se han diseñado dos compresores sin pérdida para dos tipos de imágenes satelitales, las cuales tienen distintas propiedades, a saber, diferente resolución espectral, espacial y radiométrica, y también de diferentes correlaciones espectrales y espaciales. En cada caso, el compresor explota estas propiedades para incrementar las tasas de compresión

Lossless compression of satellite multispectral and hyperspectral images

En esta tesis se presentan nuevas técnicas de compresión sin pérdida tendientes a reducir el espacio de almacenamiento requerido por imágenes satelitales. Dos tipos principales de imágenes son tratadas: multiespectrales e hiperespectrales. En el caso de imágenes multiespectrales, se desarrolló un compresor no lineal que explota tanto las correlaciones intra como interbanda presentes en la imagen. Este se basa en la transformada wavelet de enteros a enteros y se aplica sobre bloques no solapados de la imagen. Diferentes modelos para las dependencias estadísticas de los coeficientes de detalle de la transformada wavelet son propuestos y analizados. Aquellos coeficientes que se encuentran en las subbandas de detalle fino de la transformada son modelados como una combinación afín de coeficientes vecinos y coeficientes en bandas adyacentes, sujetos a que se encuentren en la misma clase. Este modelo se utiliza para generar predicciones de otros coficientes que ya fueron codificados. La información de clase se genera mediante la cuantización LloydMax, la cual también se utiliza para predecir y como contextos de condicionamiento para codificar los errores de predicción con un codificador aritmético adaptativo. Dado que el ordenamiento de las bandas también afecta la precisión de las predicciones, un nuevo mecanismo de ordenamiento es propuesto basado en los coeficientes de detalle de los últimos dos niveles de la transformada wavelet. Los resultados obtenidos superan a los de otros compresores 2D sin pérdida como PNG, JPEG-LS, SPIHT y JPEG2000, como también a otros compresores 3D como SLSQ-OPT, JPEG-LS diferencial y JPEG2000 para imágenes a color y 3D-SPIHT. El método propuesto provee acceso aleatorio a partes de la imagen, y puede aplicarse para la compresión sin pérdida de otros datos volumétricos. Para las imágenes hiperespectrales, algoritmos como LUT o LAIS-LUT que revisten el estado del arte para la compresión sin pérdida para este tipo de imágenes, explotan la alta correlación espectral de estas imágenes y utilizan tablas de lookup para generar predicciones. A pesar de ello, existen casos donde las predicciones no son buenas. En esta tesis, se propone una modificación a estos algoritmos de lookup permitiendo diferentes niveles de confianza a las tablas de lookup en base a las variaciones locales del factor de escala. Los resultados obtenidos son altamente satisfactorios y mejores a los de LUT y LAIS-LUT. Se han diseñado dos compresores sin pérdida para dos tipos de imágenes satelitales, las cuales tienen distintas propiedades, a saber, diferente resolución espectral, espacial y radiométrica, y también de diferentes correlaciones espectrales y espaciales. En cada caso, el compresor explota estas propiedades para incrementar las tasas de compresión.In this thesis, new lossless compression techniques aiming at reducing the size of storage of satellite images are presented. Two type of images are considered: multispectral and hyperspectral. For multispectral images, a nonlinear lossless compressor that exploits both intraband and interband correlations is developed. The compressor is based on a wavelet transform that maps integers into integers, applied to tiles of the image. Different models for statistical dependencies of wavelet detail coefficients are proposed and analyzed. Wavelet coefficients belonging to the fine detail subbands are successfully modelled as an affine combination of neighboring coefficients and the coefficient at the same location in the previous band, as long as all these coefficients belong to the same landscape. This model is used to predict wavelet coefficients by means of already coded coefficients. Lloyd-Max quantization is used to extract class information, which is used in the prediction and later used as a conditioning context to encode prediction errors with an adaptive arithmetic coder. The band order affects the accuracy of predictions: a new mechanism is proposed for ordering the bands, based on the wavelet detail coefficients of the 2 finest levels. The results obtained outperform 2D lossless compressors such as PNG, JPEG-LS, SPIHT and JPEG2000 and other 3D lossless compressors such as SLSQ-OPT, differential JPEG-LS, JPEG2000 for color images and 3D-SPIHT. Our method has random access capability, and can be applied for lossless compression of other kinds of volumetric data. For hyperspectral images, state-of-the-art algorithms LUT and LAIS-LUT proposed for lossless compression, exploit high spectral correlations in these images, and use lookup tables to perform predictions. However, there are cases where their predictions are not accurate. In this thesis a modification based also on look-up tables is proposed, giving these tables different degrees of confidence, based on the local variations of the scaling factor. Our results are highly satisfactory and outperform both LUT and LAIS-LUT methods. Two lossless compressors have been designed for two different kinds of satellite images having different properties, namely, different spectral resolution, spatial resolution, and bitdepth, as well as different spectral and spatial correlations. In each case, the compressor exploits these properties to increase compression ratios.Fil:Acevedo, Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

Spectral Classified Vector Quantization (SCVQ) for Multispectral Images

Multi- and hyper-spectral data pose severe problems in terms of storage capacity and transmission bandwidth. Although recommendable, compression techniques require efficient approaches to guarantee an adequate fidelity level. In particular, depending on the final destination of the data, it could be necessary to maximize several parameters, as for instance the visual quality of the rendered data, the correctness of their interpretation, or the performance of their classification. Based on the idea of Spectral Vector Quantization, the approach proposed in this paper aims at combining a compression and a classification methodology into a single scheme, in which visual distortion and classification accuracy can be balanced a- priori according to the requirements of the target application. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach can be employed successfully in a wide range of application domains