Moving object extraction by watershed algorithm considering energy minimization

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科情報システムMPEG-4, which is a video coding standard, supports object-based functionalities for high efficiency coding. MPEG-7, a multimedia content description interface, handles the object data in, for example, retrieval and/or editing systems. Therefore, extraction of semantic video objects is an indispensable tool that benefits these newly developed schemes. In the present paper, we propose a technique that extracts the shape of moving objects by combining snakes and watershed algorithm. The proposed method comprises two steps. In the first step, snakes extract contours of moving objects as a result of the minimization of an energy function. In the second step, the conditional watershed algorithm extracts contours from a topographical surface including a new function term. This function term is introduced to improve the estimated contours considering boundaries of moving objects obtained by snakes. The efficiency of the proposed approach in moving object extraction is demonstrated through computer simulations. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007

Moving object extraction by watershed algorithm considering energy minimization

Abstract. MPEG-4, which is a video coding standard, supports object-based functionalities for high efficiency coding. MPEG-7, a multimedia content de-scription interface, handles the object data in, for example, retrieval and/or edit-ing systems. Therefore, extraction of semantic video objects is an indispensable tool that benefits these newly developed schemes. In the present paper, we pro-pose a technique that extracts the shape of moving objects by combining snakes and watershed algorithm. The proposed method comprises two steps. In the first step, snakes extract contours of moving objects as a result of the minimization of an energy function. In the second step, the conditional watershed algorithm extracts contours from a topographical surface including a new function term. This function term is introduced to improve the estimated contours considering boundaries of moving objects obtained by snakes. The efficiency of the pro-posed approach in moving object extraction is demonstrated through computer simulations.