Color Analysis and Image Processing Applied in Agriculture

Color and appearance are perhaps the first attributes that attract us to a fruit or vegetable. Since the appearance of the product generally determines whether a product is accepted or rejected, measuring the color characteristics becomes an important task. To carry out the analysis of this key attribute for agriculture, it is recommended to use an artificial vision system to capture the images of the samples and then to process them by applying colorimetric routines to extract color parameters in an efficient and nondestructive manner, which makes it a suitable tool for a wide range of applications. The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview on recent development of image processing applied to color analysis from horticultural products, more specifically the practical usage of color image analysis in agriculture. As an example, quantitative values of color are extracted from Habanero Chili Peppers using image processing; the images from the samples were obtained using a desktop configuration of machine vision system. The material presented should be useful for students starting on the field, as well as for researchers looking for state-of-the-art studies and practical applications

Machine Vision Systems – A Tool for Automatic Color Analysis in Agriculture

It was in the early 1960s when machine vision systems initiated researchers and developers have worked on building machines that perform tasks of acquisition, processing, and analysis of images in a wide range of applications for different areas. Currently, along with the new technological advances in electronics, computer systems, image processing, pattern recognition, and mechatronics, it has arose the opportunity to improve machine vision systems development with affordable implementations at lower cost. A machine vision system is the combination of several high-tech techniques, including both hardware and software, used to acquire, process, and analyze images on a machine, which contributes with a set of tools for the extraction of features, such as color and dimension parameters, texture, chemical components, disease detection, freshness, assessment, modeling, and control, among others. Based on former paragraphs, we could say that machine vision systems are appropriate to improve the actual agricultural systems making them more useful, efficient, practical, and reliable

Method to extract an enhanced cervical vertebrae area from a digital X-ray image

Combination of digital X-ray with image processing techniques has the potential to extract useful information for healthcare professionals (physicians). From all the information that can be extracted from X-ray images, information concerning the human cervical vertebrae is relevant for the medical area. Therefore, in this work we present a simple enhanced region of interest (ROI) selection tool to select automatically the region that contains most of the information concerning to cervical vertebrae. The ROI-selection method reduces the size of a lateral or frontal digital X-ray by 30–60% without losing significance in the resulting image. This is achieved by an adjustment of dimensions in the image while the cervical area is preserved. Moreover, the visual quality is improved by performing a contrast enhancement in the region of interest. • Automatic threshold selection is computationally more efficient than traditional image segmentation techniques. • Reduce size in comparison with original image (enhancing ROI). • Independence of depth gray scale space. Keywords: Cervical vertebrae, Digital X-ray image, Threshold selection, Image-enhancing, Dynamic rang

Multi-Stage Ensemble-Based System for Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy Diagnosis in Fundus Images

Recent developments in Computer-aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems as a countermeasure to the increasing number of untreated cases of eye diseases related to visual impairment (such as diabetic retinopathy or age-related macular degeneration) have the potential to yield in low-to-mid income countries a comfortable and accessible alternative to obtaining a general ophthalmological study necessary for follow-up medical attention. In this work, a multi-stage ensemble-based system for the diagnosis of glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON) is proposed. GON diagnosis is based on a binary classification procedure working in conjunction with a multi-stage block based on image preprocessing and feature extraction. Our preliminary data show similar results compared to current studies considering metrics such as Accuracy, Sensitivity, Specificity, AUC (AUROC), F1score, and the use of Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) as an additional performance metric is proposed

Visiones en educación sin barreras ni fronteras: Un homenaje al Maestro Lorenzo García Aretio

In this paper, the authors will talk about the development of technological platforms and tools that will support the creation and implementation of techno-pedagogical paradigms to tech the XXI Century generations. By proving how the innovative model of the open and distance learning universities (UNAD, for its Spanish acronym) is not run out and can be renewed, taking as an example the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzing the carriers that provide change to a new education, where the need of innovation in higher education in open and distance modalities is an urgent matter. Undoubtedly, learning is one of the human capacities that has most influenced their development and evolution. Thus, the e-education concept is presented as an effort to develop talents and human capacities using the Internet and new information and communication technologies (ICT). This will allow introducing a generalized remote mode, which will create a different culture adjusting the school curriculum to an online strategy, and not a rigid one, that involves technological improvements, so general and specialized knowledge are combined to the needs of scientific, technological, and social development. Teachers work with students differently and provide help through more knowledge and experience. Recent studies are showing that there are more open and online options for teacher professional development and teachers access the Internet to expand their development opportunities through social media platforms. In this sense, the non-attendance process of education has improved its relevance globally. Although, the COVID-19 pandemic caused an accelerator effect on the digital transformation of the educational institutions.   En Visiones en educación sin barreras ni fronteras participaron para su elaboración más de 35 importantes y reconocidos académicos como autores provenientes de toda Iberoamérica, solo por mencionar algunas personalidades que se unieron a este libro homenaje nombraré algunos maestros como Claudio Rama, Julio Cabero, Marta Mena, Santiago Acosta, Francisco Cervantes, Magdalena Cruz, Josep Duart y Antonio Moreira y otros excelsos intelectuales iberoamericanos. Cada análisis que ellos referencian se basa en los diversos tópicos y siempre rigurosos estudios que sobre este apasionante mundo de la innovación educativa ha realizado el Dr. García Aretio y que aparecen reseñados en sus diversos libros y en particular en la insigne revista RIED que hoy él y su equipo han posicionado en lo más alto de los más reconocidos rankings de la élite académica e investigativa mundial.No texto os autores nos falarão do desenvolvimento de plataformas e ferramentas tecnológicas que apoiarão a criação e implantação de paradigmas tecnopedagógicos para educar as gerações do Século XXI, demonstrando como o modelo inovador das universidades abertas e à distância (UNAD) não está esgotado e pode ser renovado, mostrando como exemplo o que aconteceu durante a pandemia de covid-19, analisado os vetores que estão propiciando a mudança para uma nova educação, onde a necessidade de inovação no ensino superior em modalidades abertas e à distância numa questão urgente. A aprendizagem é sem dúvida uma das capacidades humanas que mais influiu no seu desenvolvimento e evolução; por isso, apresentam-nos, a concepção da cibereducação, como um esforço orientado para o desenvolvimento dos talentos e capacidades humanas, com a utilização da Internet e das novas tecnologias da informação e da comunicação (TIC). Isto permitiria implantar uma modalidade à distância generalizada, o que criaria uma cultura diferente, adequando o currículo escolar a uma estratégia digital, e nada rígida, que integre os avanços tecnológicos de uma forma que combina conhecimentos gerais e especializados com as necessidades do desenvolvimento científico, tecnológico e social. Os docentes trabalham com os estudantes de forma diferente e prestam-lhes ajuda com mais conhecimentos e experiência. Os estudos mais recentes mostram que há cada vez mais opções abertas, e on-line, para o desenvolvimento profissional docente, os professores acessam a Internet para ampliar suas oportunidades de desenvolvimento através de plataformas sociais. Neste sentido, as modalidades de ensino não presenciais têm-se tornado cada vez mais importantes a nível mundial. No entanto, foi na sequência da pandemia causada pela covid-19 que se produziu um efeito acelerador na transformação digital das instituições de ensino