Real-Time Parallel Computing

This book is concerned with the aspects of real-time, parallel computing which are specific to the analysis of digitized images including both the symbolic and semantic data derived from such images. The subjects covered encompass processing, storing, and transmitting images and image data. A variety of techniques and algorithms for the analysis and manipulation of images are explored both theoretically and in terms of implementation in hardware and software. The book is organized into four topic areas: (1) theo­ retical development, (2) languages for image processing, (3) new computer techniques, and (4) implementation in special purpose real-time digital systems. Computer utilization, methodology, and design for image analy­ sis presents special and unusual problems. One author (Nagao)* points out that, "Human perception of a scene is very complex. It has not been made clear how perception functions, what one sees in a picture, and how one understands the whole picture. It is almost certain that one carries out a very quick trial-and-error process, starting from the detection of gross prominent features and then analyzing details, using one's knowledge of the world. " Another author (Duff) makes the observation that, "It is therefore more difficult to write computer programs which deal with images than those which deal with numbers, human thinking about arithmetic being a largely conscious activity.