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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 IMAGE PROCESSING

Image processing is a method to convert an image into digital form
and perform some operations on it, in order to get an enhanced image or to
extract some useful information from it. It is a type of signal dispensation in
which input is image, like video frame or photograph and output may be
image or characteristics associated with that image. Usually Image
Processing system includes treating images as two dimensional signals while
applying already set signal processing methods to them.

The two types of methods used for image processing are analog and
digital image processing.

Two types of image processing

 Analog image processing
 Digital image processing

Analog or visual techniques of image processing can be used for

the hard copies like printouts and photographs. Image analysts use various
fundamentals of interpretation while using these visual techniques. The image
processing is not just confined to area that has to be studied but on knowledge
of analyst. Association is another important tool in image processing through
visual techniques. So analysts apply a combination of personal knowledge and
collateral data to image processing.
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Digital Processing techniques help in manipulation of the digital

images by using computers. As raw data from imaging sensors from satellite
platform contains deficiencies. To get over such flaws and to get originality of
information, it has to undergo various phases of processing. The three general
phases that all types of data have to undergo while using digital technique are
Pre- processing, enhancement and display, information extraction.

1.2 STEPS IN IMAGE PROCESSING

 Image acquisition
 Image enhancement
 Image restoration
 Colour image processing
 Wavelets and multi-resolution processing
 Compression
 Morphological processing
 Segmentation
 Representation and description
 Recognition
 Knowledge base

1.2.1 Image Acquisition

This is the first step or process of the fundamental steps of digital
image processing. Image acquisition could be as simple as being given an
image that is already in digital form. Generally, the image acquisition stage
involves pre-processing, such as scaling etc. The image is captured by a sensor
(eg. Camera), and digitized if the output of the camera or sensor is not already
in digital form, using analogue-to-digital convertor.
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1.2.2 Image Enhancement

The process of manipulating an image so that the result is more
suitable than the original for specific applications. Image enhancement is
among the simplest and most appealing areas of digital image processing.
Basically, the idea behind enhancement techniques is to bring out detail that is
obscured, or simply to highlight certain features of interest in an image.

1.2.3 Image Restoration

Image restoration is an area that also deals with improving the
appearance of an image. However, unlike enhancement, which is subjective,
image restoration is objective, in the sense that restoration techniques tend to
be based on mathematical or probabilistic models of image degradation.

1.2.4 Colour Image Processing

Colour image processing is an area that has been gaining its
importance because of the significant increase in the use of digital images over
the Internet. This may include colour modelling and processing in a digital
domain etc.

1.2.5 Wavelets and Multi-resolution Processing

Wavelets are the foundation for representing images in various
degrees of resolution. Images subdivision successively into smaller regions for
data compression and for pyramidal representation.

1.2.6 Compression
Compression deals with techniques for reducing the storage
required to save an image or the bandwidth to transmit it. Particularly in the
uses of internet it is very much necessary to compress data.

1.2.7 Morphological Processing

Morphological processing deals with tools for extracting image
components that are useful in the representation and description of shape.
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1.2.8 Segmentation
Segmentation procedures partition an image into its constituent
parts or objects. In general, autonomous segmentation is one of the most
difficult tasks in digital image processing. A rugged segmentation procedure
brings the process a long way toward successful solution of imaging problems
that require objects to be identified individually.

Image acquisition Recognition

Representation and
Image enhancement
Description

Knowledge
Image restoration base Segmentation

Colour image Morphological

processing processing

Wavelets and multi- Compression

resolution
processing

Figure 1.1. Steps in image processing

1.2.9 Representation and Description

Representation and description almost always follow the output of a
segmentation stage, which usually is raw pixel data, constituting either the
boundary of a region or all the points in the region itself. Choosing a
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representation is only part of the solution for transforming raw data into a
form suitable for subsequent computer processing. Description deals with
extracting attributes that result in some quantitative information of interest or
are basic for differentiating one class of objects from another.

1.2.10 Recognition
Recognition is the process that assigns a label, such as, vehicle to
an object based on its descriptors.

1.2.11 Knowledge Base

Knowledge may be as simple as detailing regions of an image
where the information of interest is known to be located, thus limiting the
search that has to be conducted in seeking that information. The knowledge
base also can be quite complex, such as an interrelated list of all major
possible defects in a materials inspection problem or an image database
containing high-resolution satellite images of a region in connection with
change-detection applications.

1.3 APPLICATIONS OF IMAGE PROCESSING

1.3.1 Computer Vision

Computer vision is a kind of automated watchdog, which uses both
science and technology. Being a discipline from science, computer vision is
related to theory for design of artificial systems that can acquire information
from images. The image input may be of many formats, such as a video signal
sequence, or multiple views from different cameras, or data input from a
medical scanning machine.

Examples of applications of computer vision include systems for

controlling processes such as an industrial robot or an autonomous vehicle; for
detecting events such as in visual surveillance or people counting; for
organizing information such as for indexing databases of images and image
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sequences; for modeling objects or environments such as industrial inspection,

medical image analysis or topographical modeling; for interaction such as the
input to a device for interaction between a computing machine and human.

1.3.2 Face Detection

In this method important facial features are detected and else are
ignored. Face detection can be treated as a specific case of object class
detection. The objective of face detection is to find the specified features such
locations and sizes of a known number of faces. Various face detection
algorithms are focused on the detection of frontal human faces. It is also an
attempt to solve the more general and difficult problems of multi view face
detection.

1.3.3 Digital Video Processing

In different engineering and computing applications video
processing is a particular and an important case of signal processing. Here the
input and output signals are video files or video streams. Video processing
techniques are used in television sets, VCRs, DVDs, video codec, video
players and other devices. For example commonly only design of various
systems and video processing methodology is different in TV sets by different
companies.

1.3.4 Remote Sensing

Remote sensing is basically an acquisition of small or large scale
information signals from an object or phenomenon, by the using various real-
time sensing devices that are wireless in nature, or not in physical or direct
contact with the object (such as aircraft, spacecraft, satellite or ship).
Practically remote sensing is a collection of different data signals using variety
of devices for gathering information on a given object or area. The monitoring
of a parolee using an ultrasound identification system, Magnetic Resonance
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Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), X-radiation (X-ray)

and space probes are all examples of remote sensing.

1.3.5 Biomedical Image Enhancement and Analysis

Biomedical image enhancement is very important issue for
biomedical image diagnosis, the aim of this area is to enhance the biomedical
images. In addition to originally digital methods, such as Computed
Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), initially analog
imaging modalities such as traditional applications like endoscopy or
radiography are nowadays equipped with digital sensors. Digital images are
composed by individual pixels to which points to discrete brightness or
different color values. After biomedical image enhancement & proper
analysis, they can be efficiently processed & objectively evaluated.

1.3.6 Biometric Verification

It refers to the automatic identification or recognition of humans by
their behaviours or characteristics. Biometrics recognition is such an efficient
type of identification and access control. It can also be used to recognize
individuals in groups that are under observation. The purpose of such a
technique is to ensure that the rendered services are accessed only by a
legitimate user and no one else. A biometric system is theoretically a pattern
recognition system that is based on acquiring biometric data from an
individual. The operating principle is based on extracting set of defined
features from the acquired data, and comparing this feature set against the
template set in the database. Depending on the type and mode of application, a
biometric system may work under verification mode or identification mode.

1.3.7 Signature Recognition

Signature verification and recognition is also an important
application, which is to decide, whether a signature belongs to a given signer
based on the image of signature and a few sample images of the original
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signatures of the signer. Handwritten signatures are imprecise in nature as

their corners are not always sharp, lines are not perfectly straight, and curves
are not necessarily smooth. Furthermore, the fonts can be drawn in different
sizes and orientation in contrast to handwriting which is often assumed to be
written on a baseline in an upright position. Therefore, a robust handwritten
signature recognition system has to account for all of these factors.

1.3.8 Underwater Image Restoration and Enhancement

In Underwater Image processing, the basic physics of light
propagation in the water medium comes into extinction. When the light enters
into water, it exponentially attenuates with the depth of water level; therefore
the visibility distance is affected and so limited. Underwater images suffer
from different problems such as blurring, non-uniform lightening, noise, low
contrast, etc. Therefore, restoration & enhancement of underwater images is
an essential area for research. Various filters are used in the enhancement
methods to improve the image quality, to suppress the noise, to preserve the
edges in an image and for smoothening of the image.

1.3.9 Character Recognition

Character recognition, usually known as optical character
recognition or abbreviated as OCR. It is mechanical or electronic translation of
images of either handwritten or printed text into machine editable text. It is a
wide area for researchers in pattern recognition, artificial intelligence and
machine vision. For many document input tasks, character recognition is the
most cost effective and speedy method available.

1.3.10 Medical Palmistry

Palmistry is a science which observes human palm by different
aspects and derives conclusions about nature of the person. Since from ancient
times, many civilizations like Indian, Chinese, Persian, Egyptian, Roman and
Greek, people were used to get guidance about their present and future by
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means of palmistry. It includes attributes of human, like, health, psychology,

intelligence, lifestyle and other related entities. Medical palmistry can be
considered as one of the branches of palmistry. By using this medical
palmistry, probable diseases can be identified by observing some symbols in
human palms such as Iceland, cross, grill, spot, star, square and circle.
Additionally shapes of palm and fingers also play very important role in such
decision making for identification of diseases.

1.4 MEDICAL IMAGE PROCESSING

Medical imaging encompasses different imaging modalities and
processes to image the human body for diagnostic and treatment purposes
and therefore plays an important role in initiatives to improve public health
for all population groups. Furthermore, medical imaging is frequently
justified in the follow-up of a disease already diagnosed and/or treated.

Medical imaging, especially MRI based examinations and

ultrasonography, is crucial in a variety of medical setting and at all major
levels of health care. In public health and preventive medicine as well as in
both curative and palliative care, effective decisions depend on correct
diagnoses. Though medical/clinical judgment may be sufficient prior to
treatment of many conditions, the use of diagnostic imaging services is
paramount in confirming, correctly assessing and documenting courses of
many diseases as well as in assessing responses to treatment.

With improved health care policy and increasing availability of

medical equipment, the number of global imaging-based procedures is
increasing considerably. Effective, safe, and high quality imaging is
important for much medical decision-making and can reduce unnecessary
procedures. For example, some surgical interventions can be avoided
altogether if simple diagnostic imaging services such as ultrasound are
available.
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Some imaging modalities used in medical image processing are

 MRI
 X-Ray
 CT
 Ultra sound

1.5 MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)

MRI is a non-invasive imaging technology that produces three
dimensional detailed anatomical images. It is often used for disease detection,
diagnosis, and treatment monitoring. It is based on sophisticated technology
that excites and detects the change in the direction of the rotational axis of
protons found in the water that makes up living tissues.

MRIs employ powerful magnets which produce a strong magnetic

field that forces protons in the body to align with that field. When a
radiofrequency current is then pulsed through the patient, the protons are
stimulated, and spin out of equilibrium, straining against the pull of the
magnetic field. When the radiofrequency field is turned off, the
MRI sensors are able to detect the energy released as the protons realign with
the magnetic field. The time it takes for the protons to realign with the
magnetic field, as well as the amount of energy released changes depending on
the environment and the chemical nature of the molecules. Physicians are able
to tell the difference between various types of tissues based on these magnetic
properties.

To obtain an MRI image, a patient is placed inside a large magnet

and must remain very still during the imaging process in order not to blur the
image. Contrast agents (often containing the element Gadolinium) may be
given to a patient intravenously before or during the MRI to increase the speed
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at which protons realign with the magnetic field. The faster the protons
realign, the brighter the image.

1.6 DEEP LEARNING

Deep learning is a machine learning technique that teaches
computers to do what comes naturally to humans: learn by example. Deep
learning is a key technology behind driverless cars, enabling them to recognize
a stop sign, or to distinguish a pedestrian from a lamppost. It is the key to
voice control in consumer devices like phones, tablets, TVs, and hands-free
speakers. Deep learning is getting lots of attention lately and for good reason.
It’s achieving results that were not possible before.

In deep learning, a computer model learns to perform classification

tasks directly from images, text, or sound. Deep learning models can achieve
state-of-the-art accuracy, sometimes exceeding human-level performance.
Models are trained by using a large set of labeled data and neural network
architectures that contain many layers.

Deep learning achieves recognition accuracy at higher levels than

ever before. This helps consumer electronics meet user expectations, and it is
crucial for safety-critical applications like driverless cars. Recent advances in
deep learning have improved to the point where deep learning outperforms
humans in some tasks like classifying objects in images.

Most deep learning methods use neural network architectures,

which is why deep learning models are often referred to as deep neural
networks. The term deep refers to the number of hidden layers in the neural
network. Traditional neural networks only contain 2-3 hidden layers, while
deep networks can have as many as [Link] learning models are trained by
using large sets of labeled data and neural network architectures that learn
features directly from the data without the need for manual feature extraction.
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One of the most popular types of deep neural networks is known

as convolutional neural networks (CNN). A CNN convolves learned features
with input data and uses convolutional layers, making this architecture well
suited to processing data such as images.

CNNs eliminate the need for manual feature extraction, so you do

not need to identify features used to classify images. The CNN works by
extracting features directly from images. The relevant features are not pre-
trained; they are learned while the network trains on a collection of images.
This automated feature extraction makes deep learning models highly accurate
for computer vision tasks such as object classification.

CNNs learn to detect different features of an image using tens or

hundreds of hidden layers. Every hidden layer increases the complexity of the
learned image features. For example, the first hidden layer could learn how to
detect edges, and the last learns how to detect more complex shapes
specifically catered to the shape of the object we are trying to recognize.

1.7 OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT

Chapter 2 deals with the literature review. Chapter 3 discusses
about the proposed methodology. Chapter 4 deals with results and discussion.
Chapter 5 tells about the conclusion.