Next: References Up: Multi-Level Probabilistic Relaxation Previous: 4 Application

5 Conclusions

  We presented in this paper a general framework for applying the method of probabilistic relaxation across different resolution levels: the method allows the incorporation of information and measurements pertaining to separate resolution levels, and proceeds from the coarsest level to the finest level. As such, it allows the flow of information in a more natural way than the classical probabilistic relaxation approach where in successive iteration steps the information from coarser and coarser scales is incorporated. We applied our formalism to the problem of multiresolution segmentation of coloured texture images where a dictionary of permissible region label configurations is introduced; the method then proceeds in a bootstrap way by calculating the measurements that characterise a certain class from the pixels that have been assigned with high confidence to this class at the previous resolution level. The method was demonstrated with the help of some composite colour texture images where the measurements at each resolution level are the Luv colours that make up each texture at that level.

The basic assumptions the theory relies on is the independence of measurements concerning the individual pixels. This assumption is reasonably correct when the measurements are the colour/grey values of the pixels. It is clearly incorrect when the measurements refer to other pixel attributes like for example texture. However, it is an important convenience assumption, necessary to allow the development of the work. Often in practice, probabilistic label assignments are iterated to compensate for the error introduced by this assumption. For example, in our case, the relaxation labelling could be iterated a few times at each resolution level before the solution obtained was propagated to the next finer resolution level. A stopping criterion then would be necessary, which could for example be: the process stops when the number of pixels changing their probabilities are a small fraction of total image pixels.

   



Next: References Up: Multi-Level Probabilistic Relaxation Previous: 4 Application

Dr. Majid Mirmehdi
Wed Jul 2 18:24:08 BST 1997