Code

COMPGV12 (Also taught as: COMP3072 Image Processing)

Year

MSc

Prerequisites

There are no particular pre-requisites for this course over and above the normal entrance requirements for the MSc VIVE programme

Term

1

Taught By

Niloy Mitra (100%)

Aims

The first half of this course introduces the digital image, describes the main characteristics of monochrome digital images, how they are represented and how they differ from graphics objects. It covers basic algorithms for image manipulation, characterisation, segmentation and feature extraction in direct space. The second half of the course proceeds to a more formal treatment of image filtering with some indication of the role and implications of Fourier space, and more advanced characterisation and feature detection techniques such as edge and corner detection, together with multiresolution methods, treatment of colour images and template matching techniques. The course provides the orportunity for students to explore a range of practical techniques, by developing their own simple processing functions either in a language such as Java and/or by using library facilities and tools such as MatLab or IDL. NOTE. This is a core course for the MSc VIVE programme, and is an option course for the MSc and MRes VEIV.

Learning Outcomes

To understand (i.e., be able to describe, analyse and reason about) how digital images are represented, manipulated, encoded and processed, with emphasis on algorithm design, implementation and performance evaluation.

Introduction to the digital image

Why digital images
The digital camera
Data types and 2d representation of digital images

Characteristics of grey-level digital images

Discrete sampling model
Quantisation
Noise processes
Image attributes

Segmentation

Thresholding and thresholding algorithms
Performance evaluation and ROC analysis
Connected components labelling
Region growing and region adjacency graph (RAG)
Split and merge algorithms

Image Transformations

Grey level transformations
Histogram equalization
Geometric transformations
Affine transformations
Polynomial warps

Morphological operation

Erode and dilate as max and min operators on binary images
Open, close, thinning and other transforms
Medial axis transform
Introduction to grey-level morphology

Feature Characterisation

Calculation of region properties
Moment features
Boundary coding
Fourier descriptors
Line descriptors from boundary coding and from moments

Image filtering

Linear and non-linear filtering operations
Image convolutions
Separable convolutions
Sub-sampling and interpolation as convolution operations

Edge detection

Alternative approaches
Edge enhancement by differentiation
Effect of noise, edge detection and Canny implementation
Edge detector performance evaluation

Corner detection

Image structure tensor
Relationship to image auto-correlation
Characterisation and Harris corner detector
Sub-pixel accuracy and performance evaluation

Colour images

Representations of colour in digital images
Colour metrics
Pixel-wise (point) operations
Colour invariants and Finlayson colour constancy algorithm

Template matching

Similarity and dissimilarity matching metrics
L2 metric and relationship to cross-correlation
Image search and multi-resolution algorithms
2D object detection, recognition, location

Lecture presentations with associated class coursework and laboratory sessions. There are 4 pieces of coursework, all equaly weighted.

The course has the following assessment components:

• Written Examination (2.5 hours, 80%)
• Coursework Section (4 pieces, 20%)

To pass this course, students must:

• Obtain an overall pass mark of 50% for all sections combined

The examination rubric is:
Choice of 3 questions from six, at least one from each of two sections. All questions carry equal marks.

Gonzales/ Woods/ Eddins, Digital Image Processing using MATLAB, 2nd edition, Gatesmark Publishing, ISBN 9780982085400

A Watt and F Policarpo, The Computer Image, Addison Wesley 1998, ISBN 0-201-42298-0

A K Jain, Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing, Prentice Hall, 1989, ISBN 0-13-336165-9

W K Pratt, Digital Image Processing, John Wiley and Sons, 1991, ISBN 0-471-85766-1

R Jain, R Kasturi and B G Schunck, Machine Vision, McGraw-Hill, 1995, ISBN 0-07-113407-7

Copy of lecture notes/overheads, Coursework assignments, Guidance notes for courseworks