Total Variation Image Edge Detection with Image Quality Measurement: A New Introduction to the Application of Total Variation Theory

Since the introduction of the total variation theory into mathematics in 1881 by Camille Jordan, the theory has not sufficiently found its pride of place among other mathematical theories. This is because even though the total variation criterion has been used regularly, especially in the theory of distributions and the Stieljes integral where a nice solution requires that the functions be of bounded variation, that is, have a finite total variation, the total variation functional itself has not been extensively applied to the solution of mathematical problems. This is in part because of the difficulty encountered in using the functional. In this book, I give a new derivation of the functional and apply it to image edge detection and image quality measurement. Compared to previous methods, the total variation approach gives superior results.

PETER E. NDAJAH, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor with the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and NEC Corporation, Kawasaki, Japan where he undertakes research in acoustic problems. His research interests also include computer vision, control theory, mathematical analysis, calculus of variations and optimization theory.