Image Blending Techniques and their Application in Underwater Mosaicing

Image Blending Techniques and their Application in Underwater Mosaicing
Author: Ricard Prados
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 115
Release: 2014-04-05
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3319055585

This work proposes strategies and solutions to tackle the problem of building photo-mosaics of very large underwater optical surveys, presenting contributions to the image preprocessing, enhancing and blending steps, and resulting in an improved visual quality of the final photo-mosaic. The text opens with a comprehensive review of mosaicing and blending techniques, before proposing an approach for large scale underwater image mosaicing and blending. In the image preprocessing step, a depth dependent illumination compensation function is used to solve the non-uniform illumination appearance due to light attenuation. For image enhancement, the image contrast variability due to different acquisition altitudes is compensated using an adaptive contrast enhancement based on an image quality reference selected through a total variation criterion. In the blending step, a graph-cut strategy operating in the image gradient domain over the overlapping regions is suggested. Next, an out-of-core blending strategy for very large scale photo-mosaics is presented and tested on real data. Finally, the performance of the approach is evaluated and compared with other approaches.

Methods for Appearance-based Loop Closure Detection

Methods for Appearance-based Loop Closure Detection
Author: Emilio Garcia-Fidalgo
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2018-03-14
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3319759930

Mapping and localization are two essential tasks in autonomous mobile robotics. Due to the unavoidable noise that sensors present, mapping algorithms usually rely on loop closure detection techniques, which entail the correct identification of previously seen places to reduce the uncertainty of the resulting maps. This book deals with the problem of generating topological maps of the environment using efficient appearance-based loop closure detection techniques. Since the quality of a visual loop closure detection algorithm is related to the image description method and its ability to index previously seen images, several methods for loop closure detection adopting different approaches are developed and assessed. Then, these methods are used in three novel topological mapping algorithms. The results obtained indicate that the solutions proposed attain a better performance than several state-of-the-art approaches. To conclude, given that loop closure detection is also a key component in other research areas, a multi-threaded image mosaicing algorithm is proposed. This approach makes use of one of the loop closure detection techniques previously introduced in order to find overlapping pairs between images and finally obtain seamless mosaics of different environments in a reasonable amount of time.

Computer Vision in Vehicle Technology

Computer Vision in Vehicle Technology
Author: Antonio M. López
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2017-02-08
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1118868056

A unified view of the use of computer vision technology for different types of vehicles Computer Vision in Vehicle Technology focuses on computer vision as on-board technology, bringing together fields of research where computer vision is progressively penetrating: the automotive sector, unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles. It also serves as a reference for researchers of current developments and challenges in areas of the application of computer vision, involving vehicles such as advanced driver assistance (pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition), autonomous driving and robot navigation (with visual simultaneous localization and mapping) or unmanned aerial vehicles (obstacle avoidance, landscape classification and mapping, fire risk assessment). The overall role of computer vision for the navigation of different vehicles, as well as technology to address on-board applications, is analysed. Key features: Presents the latest advances in the field of computer vision and vehicle technologies in a highly informative and understandable way, including the basic mathematics for each problem. Provides a comprehensive summary of the state of the art computer vision techniques in vehicles from the navigation and the addressable applications points of view. Offers a detailed description of the open challenges and business opportunities for the immediate future in the field of vision based vehicle technologies. This is essential reading for computer vision researchers, as well as engineers working in vehicle technologies, and students of computer vision.

Image Analysis and Recognition

Image Analysis and Recognition
Author: Aurélio Campilho
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 528
Release: 2014-10-09
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3319117580

The two volumes LNCS 8814 and 8815 constitute the thoroughly refereed proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Image Analysis and Recognition, ICIAR 2014, held in Vilamoura, Portugal, in October 2014. The 107 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 177 submissions. The papers are organized in the following topical sections: image representation and models; sparse representation; image restoration and enhancement; feature detection and image segmentation; classification and learning methods; document image analysis; image and video retrieval; remote sensing; applications; action, gestures and audio-visual recognition; biometrics; medical image processing and analysis; medical image segmentation; computer-aided diagnosis; retinal image analysis; 3D imaging; motion analysis and tracking; and robot vision.

Efficient Topology Estimation for Large Scale Optical Mapping

Efficient Topology Estimation for Large Scale Optical Mapping
Author: Armagan Elibol
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 96
Release: 2012-08-09
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3642303137

Large scale optical mapping methods are in great demand among scientists who study different aspects of the seabed, and have been fostered by impressive advances in the capabilities of underwater robots in gathering optical data from the seafloor. Cost and weight constraints mean that low-cost ROVs usually have a very limited number of sensors. When a low-cost robot carries out a seafloor survey using a down-looking camera, it usually follows a predefined trajectory that provides several non time-consecutive overlapping image pairs. Finding these pairs (a process known as topology estimation) is indispensable to obtaining globally consistent mosaics and accurate trajectory estimates, which are necessary for a global view of the surveyed area, especially when optical sensors are the only data source. This book contributes to the state-of-art in large area image mosaicing methods for underwater surveys using low-cost vehicles equipped with a very limited sensor suite. The main focus has been on global alignment and fast topology estimation, which are the most challenging steps in creating large area image mosaics. This book is intended to emphasise the importance of the topology estimation problem and to present different solutions using interdisciplinary approaches opening a way to further develop new strategies and methodologies.

Nature and Significance of the Recent Carbonate Mound Record

Nature and Significance of the Recent Carbonate Mound Record
Author: Anneleen Foubert
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2009-07-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642002897

No books are available on the market describing recent carbonate mounds along the European continental margins and deciphering step by step their internal structure. The first results of IODP Expedition 307 "Modern Carbonate Mounds: Porcupine Drilling" are published in Ferdelman, T.G., Kano, A., Williams, T., Henriet, J.-P., and the Expedition 307 Scientists, 2006. Proc. IODP, 307: Washington, DC (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Management International, Inc.). doi:10.2204/iodp.proc.307.2006. However, these proceedings do not give an overview of the existing knowledge on carbonate mounds and do not include detailed post-cruise analysis and advanced interpretations.

Artificial Intelligence and Evolutionary Computations in Engineering Systems

Artificial Intelligence and Evolutionary Computations in Engineering Systems
Author: Subhransu Sekhar Dash
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 714
Release: 2018-03-19
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9811078688

The book is a collection of high-quality peer-reviewed research papers presented in the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Evolutionary Computations in Engineering Systems (ICAIECES 2017). The book discusses wide variety of industrial, engineering and scientific applications of the emerging techniques. Researchers from academia and industry have presented their original work and ideas, information, techniques and applications in the field of communication, computing and power technologies.

Digital Photography

Digital Photography
Author: Ken Milburn
Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
Total Pages: 486
Release: 2004
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 9780596005474

In this absorbing book by professional photographer Milburn, a multitude of expert advice is offered to those who are ready to move to the next level of digital photography and digital image processing. Rather than discussing photography principles, the book focuses on workflow: time-tested, step-by-step procedures based on hard-nosed experience by and for genuine practitioners of the art. 0-596-00547-4$44.95 / O'Reilly & Associates

Information Processing in Computer Assisted Interventions

Information Processing in Computer Assisted Interventions
Author: Purang Abolmaesumi
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2012-06-07
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3642306187

This book constitutes the proceedings of the Third International Conference on Information Processing in Computer-Assisted Interventions IPCAI 2012, held in Pisa, Italy, on June 27, 2012. The 17 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 31 submissions during two rounds of reviewing and improvement. The papers present novel technical concepts, clinical needs and applications as well as hardware, software and systems and their validation. The main technological focus is on patient-specific modeling and its use in interventions, image-guided and robotic surgery, real-time tracking and imaging.