IP Bankai
IP Bankai
Unit 3:
a) Image segmentation is the process of partitioning a digital image into multiple segments
orregions to simplify its representation or to facilitate more meaningful analysis. Two
applications of image segmentation are:
1. Medical Image Analysis: In medical imaging, segmentation is used to delineate
different anatomical structures or abnormalities within images, such as tumors in MRI
scans or blood vessels in angiograms. This enables accurate diagnosis, treatment
planning, and monitoring of diseases.
2. Object Recognition and Tracking: Image segmentation is crucial for tasks like
object recognition and tracking in computer vision applications. By segmenting objects
from the background, it becomes easier to identify and track them over time in videos or
real-time camera feeds, aiding in various applications such as surveillance, autonomous
navigation, and augmented reality.
c) Canny Edge Detection is a multi-step algorithm used to detect edges in images with
highaccuracy and low error rate. The various steps involved are:
1. Gaussian Smoothing: The input image is convolved with a Gaussian filter to
reduce noise and suppress minor variations.
2. Gradient Calculation: Compute the gradient magnitude and direction of the
smoothed image using gradient operators (like Sobel or Prewitt).
3. Non-maximum Suppression: Thin the edges by preserving only the local maxima
in the gradient direction. This ensures that only the most prominent edges are retained.
4. Double Thresholding: Apply double thresholding to classify edge pixels as strong,
weak, or non-edges based on their gradient magnitude.
5. Edge Tracking by Hysteresis: Track edges by connecting strong edge pixels and
weak edge pixels that are adjacent to strong edges. This helps in completing edges and
reducing gaps.
d) Fundamental approaches in image segmentation include:
1. Thresholding: Dividing an image into two or more regions based on pixel
intensity values exceeding a predefined threshold.
2. Edge-based Segmentation: Detecting edges in an image using techniques like
gradient operators or filters, followed by edge linking to form closed contours.
3. Region-based Segmentation: Grouping pixels into regions based on similarity
criteria such as color, texture, or intensity homogeneity using clustering or region
growing methods.
4. Watershed Transform: Treating the image as a topographic surface, where
intensity values represent elevations, and flooding the surface to segment regions based
on watershed basins.
a) The Image Compression Model involves reducing the size of an image file while
preserving its visual quality to save storage space or transmission bandwidth. It typically
consists of two main components:
1. Transformation: The image is transformed from its original representation to a
more compact form, usually in the frequency domain. Common transformations include
the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) used in JPEG compression or the Discrete
Wavelet Transform (DWT) used in JPEG2000 and wavelet-based compression
methods.
2. Quantization: The transformed image is quantized to reduce the precision of its
coefficients, effectively reducing the amount of information needed to represent the
image. Quantization introduces loss of information, but the goal is to minimize
perceptual loss while achieving significant compression ratios.
c) Object Recognition is a computer vision task that involves identifying and classifying
objects within digital images or video frames. It typically consists of the following steps:
1. Feature Extraction: Extract meaningful features from the input image, such as edges,
textures, or key points, using techniques like SIFT (Scale-Invariant Feature Transform) or CNN
(Convolutional Neural Networks).
2. Object Localization: Locate objects within the image by identifying their bounding boxes
or regions of interest (ROI). This can be done using object detection algorithms like R-CNN
(Region-based Convolutional Neural Networks) or YOLO (You Only Look Once).
3. Classification: Classify the extracted features or ROIs into predefined categories or
classes using machine learning models such as SVMs (Support Vector Machines) or deep
learning models like CNNs.
4. Post-processing: Refine the object recognition results by applying techniques like non-
maximum suppression to eliminate redundant detections or by incorporating contextual
information for better accuracy.
Unit 5:
a) The Image Degradation Model describes the process by which an image undergoes
degradation due to various factors such as blurring, noise, and other distortions during
acquisition, transmission, or storage. It typically consists of three main components:
1. Degradation Function: Describes how the original image is transformed or distorted
during the degradation process. This function includes operations like blurring, noise
addition, compression, or other forms of distortion.
2. Noise: Represents unwanted disturbances or variations introduced into the image
during the acquisition or transmission process. Common types of noise include
Gaussian noise, salt-and-pepper noise, and speckle noise.
3. Modeling: Involves mathematically modeling the degradation process to understand
its effect on the image and to devise methods for image restoration or reconstruction.
b) Wiener Filtering is a signal processing technique used for image reconstruction and
restoration in the presence of noise. It aims to minimize the mean square error between the
estimated image and the true image by adapting a linear filter. Here's how it works:
1. Degradation Model: Construct a mathematical model of the image degradation
process, including blurring and noise.
2. Wiener Filter Design: Design a Wiener filter based on the estimated power spectral
densities of the original image and the noise. The Wiener filter is designed to minimize
the mean square error between the original and estimated images.
3. Filtering Operation: Apply the Wiener filter to the degraded image to estimate the
original image. The filter operates in the frequency domain, taking into account both
the degradation and noise characteristics.
4. Reconstruction: Obtain the restored image by inverse transforming the filtered image
back to the spatial domain.
c) Image Enhancement and Image Restoration are two different approaches to improve the
visual quality of digital images, but they serve different purposes and employ different
techniques:
- Image Enhancement: Focuses on improving the visual appearance of an image
to make it more visually appealing or easier to interpret without altering its underlying
content. Enhancement techniques include contrast adjustment, sharpening, color
correction, and histogram equalization. The goal of enhancement is to make the image
more suitable for human perception or for specific applications like image analysis or
visualization.
- Image Restoration: Aims to recover the original, undistorted image from a
degraded version by removing or compensating for the effects of degradation such as
blurring, noise, or compression artifacts. Restoration techniques involve mathematical
modelling of the degradation process and applying inverse operations to reconstruct the
original image. Common restoration methods include Wiener filtering, deconvolution,
and iterative algorithms like the Richardson-Lucy algorithm.
d) Three noise models commonly encountered in image processing are:
1. Gaussian Noise: Adds random noise to pixel values according to a Gaussian (normal)
distribution. It is characterized by its mean and standard deviation, and it is often used
to model electronic sensor noise or natural variations in image intensity.
2. Salt-and-Pepper Noise: Introduces random impulse noise by randomly setting pixel
values to either the maximum or minimum intensity values (e.g., white or black) with a
certain probability. Salt-and-pepper noise commonly occurs in images due to
transmission errors or sensor malfunctions.
3. Speckle Noise: Occurs in images acquired by ultrasound or radar systems and is
caused by random interference patterns. Speckle noise follows a multiplicative noise
model, where the pixel values are multiplied by a random noise factor drawn from a
certain distribution, typically a gamma or log-normal distribution.
f) Inverse Filtering is a technique used for image restoration that aims to recover the original
image by applying the inverse of the degradation process. Here's how it works:
1. Degradation Model: Construct a mathematical model of the image degradation
process, including blurring and noise.
2. Inverse Filter Design: Design an inverse filter that theoretically reverses the effects of
the degradation process. The inverse filter is derived based on the inverse of the
degradation function.
3. Filtering Operation: Apply the inverse filter to the degraded image to attempt to
reconstruct the original image. The inverse filter operates in the frequency domain,
where convolution becomes multiplication.
4. Issues and Challenges: Inverse filtering is theoretically appealing but often impractical
due to the sensitivity to noise and amplification of high-frequency components, leading
to artifacts and instability. Regularization techniques or additional constraints are often
needed to stabilize the inverse filtering process and improve the quality of the restored
image.
Unit 6: