Given a binary image stored in a cellular array, a local reconfiguration process can be used to reconnect some of the cells into a quadtree network representing the image. This quadtree can also be ``roped,'' i.e., nodes representing adjacent image blocks of the same size can be joined. Using the roped quadtree network as a parallel (cellular) computer, image properties such as perimeter and genus, as well as the quadtree distance transform, can be computed in O(tree height) = O(log image diameter) time. The area and centroid of the image can be computed in O(height) time without the need for roping.

Some contour properties can be derived in parallel by a string or cycle of automata in linear time, faster than can be done with a single processor. In particular, the intersection points of two contours, the straightness of a line, the union or intersection of two contours, and polygonal approximations of a contour are computed in linear time.

Experimental results are presented on some properties of random mosaic models for textures. These observations are compared with the theoretically predicted values. The predictions are also compared with observations on a real Image.