We propose a novel framework to learn the spatiotemporal variability in longitudinal 3D shape data sets, which contain observations of objects that evolve and deform over time. This problem is challenging since surfaces come with arbitrary parameterizations and thus, they need to be spatially registered. Also, different deforming objects, hereinafter referred to as 4D surfaces, evolve at different speeds and thus they need to be temporally aligned. We solve this spatiotemporal registration problem using a Riemannian approach. We treat a 3D surface as a point in a shape space equipped with an elastic Riemannian metric that measures the amount of bending and stretching that the surfaces undergo. A 4D surface can then be seen as a trajectory in this space. With this formulation, the statistical analysis of 4D surfaces can be cast as the problem of analyzing trajectories embedded in a nonlinear Riemannian manifold. However, performing the spatiotemporal registration, and subsequently computing statistics, on such nonlinear spaces is not straightforward as they rely on complex nonlinear optimizations. Our core contribution is the mapping of the surfaces to the space of Square-Root Normal Fields (SRNF) where the [Formula: see text] metric is equivalent to the partial elastic metric in the space of surfaces. Thus, by solving the spatial registration in the SRNF space, the problem of analyzing 4D surfaces becomes the problem of analyzing trajectories embedded in the SRNF space, which has a euclidean structure. In this paper, we develop the building blocks that enable such analysis. These include: (1) the spatiotemporal registration of arbitrarily parameterized 4D surfaces even in the presence of large elastic deformations and large variations in their execution rates; (2) the computation of geodesics between 4D surfaces; (3) the computation of statistical summaries, such as means and modes of variation, of collections of 4D surfaces; and (4) the synthesis of random 4D surfaces. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed framework using 4D facial surfaces and 4D human body shapes.

Recent developments in elastic shape analysis (ESA) are motivated by the fact that it provides a comprehensive framework for simultaneous registration, deformation, and comparison of shapes. These methods achieve computational efficiency using certain square-root representations that transform invariant elastic metrics into euclidean metrics, allowing for the application of standard algorithms and statistical tools. For analyzing shapes of embeddings of in , Jermyn et al. [1] introduced square-root normal fields (SRNFs), which transform an elastic metric, with desirable invariant properties, into the metric. These SRNFs are essentially surface normals scaled by square-roots of infinitesimal area elements. A critical need in shape analysis is a method for inverting solutions (deformations, averages, modes of variations, etc.) computed in SRNF space, back to the original surface space for visualizations and inferences. Due to the lack of theory for understanding SRNF maps and their inverses, we take a numerical approach, and derive an efficient multiresolution algorithm, based on solving an optimization problem in the surface space, that estimates surfaces corresponding to given SRNFs. This solution is found to be effective even for complex shapes that undergo significant deformations including bending and stretching, e.g., human bodies and animals. We use this inversion for computing elastic shape deformations, transferring deformations, summarizing shapes, and for finding modes of variability in a given collection, while simultaneously registering the surfaces. We demonstrate the proposed algorithms using a statistical analysis of human body shapes, classification of generic surfaces, and analysis of brain structures.

Classical tomographic reconstruction methods fail for problems in which there is extreme temporal and spatial sparsity in the measured data.Reconstruction of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), a space weather phenomenon with potential negative effects on the Earth, is one such problem.However, the topological complexity of CMEs renders recent limited data reconstruction methods inapplicable.We propose an energy function, based on a phase field level set framework, for the joint segmentation and tomographic reconstruction of CMEs from measurements acquired by coronagraphs, a type of solar telescope.Our phase field model deals easily with complex topologies, and is more robust than classical methods when the data are very sparse.We use a fast variational algorithm that combines the finite element method with a trust region variant of Newton's method to minimize the energy.We compare the results obtained with our model to classical regularized tomography for synthetic CME-like images. Motivation and BackgroundOur knowledge of the physical processes that drive the sun is far from complete.Phenomena such as active regions, solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and solar wind, all of which contribute to geoeffective events, collectively referred to as space weather, are c 2012.The copyright of this document resides with its authors.

This paper introduces a square-root velocity (SRV) representation for analyzing shapes of curves in euclidean spaces under an elastic metric. In this SRV representation, the elastic metric simplifies to the IL(2) metric, the reparameterization group acts by isometries, and the space of unit length curves becomes the unit sphere. The shape space of closed curves is the quotient space of (a submanifold of) the unit sphere, modulo rotation, and reparameterization groups, and we find geodesics in that space using a path straightening approach. These geodesics and geodesic distances provide a framework for optimally matching, deforming, and comparing shapes. These ideas are demonstrated using: 1) shape analysis of cylindrical helices for studying protein structure, 2) shape analysis of facial curves for recognizing faces, 3) a wrapped probability distribution for capturing shapes of planar closed curves, and 4) parallel transport of deformations for predicting shapes from novel poses.

The seven papers in this special section focus on shape analysis and its application in image understanding.

We propose a binary Markov random field (MRF) model that assigns high probability to regions in the image domain consisting of an unknown number of circles of a given radius. We construct the model by discretizing the `gas of circles' phase field model in a principled way, thereby creating an `equivalent'MRF. The behaviour of the resulting MRF model is analyzed, and the performance of the new model is demonstrated on various synthetic images as well as on the problem of tree crown detection in aerial images.

We describe basic properties of Markov chains on finite state spaces and their application to Green functions, partial differential equations, and their (approximate) solution using random walks on a graph. Attention is paid to the influence of boundary conditions (Dirichlet/von Neumann). We apply these ideas to the study of traffic propagation and distribution in ad hoc networks.

We study the problem of identifying shape classes in point clouds. These clouds contain sampled points along contours and are corrupted by clutter and observation noise. Taking an analysis-by-synthesis approach, we simulate high-probability configurations of sampled contours using models learned from training data to evaluate the given test data. To facilitate simulations, we develop statistical models for sources of (nuisance) variability: 1) shape variations within classes, 2) variability in sampling continuous curves, 3) pose and scale variability, 4) observation noise, and 5) points introduced by clutter. The variability in sampling closed curves into finite points is represented by positive diffeomorphisms of a unit circle. We derive probability models on these functions using their square-root forms and the Fisher-Rao metric. Using a Monte Carlo approach, we simulate configurations from a joint prior on the shape-sample space and compare them to the data using a likelihood function. Average likelihoods of simulated configurations lead to estimates of posterior probabilities of different classes and, hence, Bayesian classification.

The segmentation of networks is important in several imaging domains, and models incorporating prior shape knowledge are often essential for the automatic performance of this task. Higher-order active contours provide a way to include such knowledge, but their behaviour can vary significantly with parameter values: e.g. the same energy can model networks or a dasiagas of circlespsila. In this paper, we present a stability analysis of a HOAC energy leading to the phase diagram of a long bar. The results, which are confirmed by numerical experiments, enable the selection of parameter values for the modelling of network shapes using the energy. We apply the resulting model to the problem of hydrographic network extraction from VHR satellite images.

We address the problem of updating road maps in dense urban areas by extracting the main road network from a very high resolution (VHR) satellite image. Our model of the region occupied by the road network in the image is innovative. It incorporates three different types of prior geometric knowledge: generic boundary smoothness constraints, equivalent to a standard active contour prior; knowledge of the geometric properties of road networks (i.e. that they occupy regions composed of long, low-curvature segments joined at junctions), equivalent to a higher-order active contour prior; and knowledge of the road network at an earlier date derived from GIS data, similar to other ‘shape priors’ in the literature. In addition, we represent the road network region as a ‘phase field’, which offers a number of important advantages over other region modelling frameworks. All three types of prior knowledge prove important for overcoming the complexity of geometric ‘noise’ in VHR images. Promising results and a comparison with several other techniques demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.

We propose a novel representation of continuous, closed curves in ℝ(n) that is quite efficient for analyzing their shapes. We combine the strengths of two important ideas - elastic shape metric and path-straightening methods -in shape analysis and present a fast algorithm for finding geodesics in shape spaces. The elastic metric allows for optimal matching of features while path-straightening provides geodesics between curves. Efficiency results from the fact that the elastic metric becomes the simple (2) metric in the proposed representation. We present step-by-step algorithms for computing geodesics in this framework, and demonstrate them with 2-D as well as 3-D examples.

Applications in computer vision involve statistically analyzing an important class of constrained, non-negative functions, including probability density functions (in texture analysis), dynamic time-warping functions (in activity analysis), and re-parametrization or non-rigid registration functions (in shape analysis of curves). For this one needs to impose a Riemannian structure on the spaces formed by these functions. We propose a "spherical" version of the Fisher-Rao metric that provides closed-form expressions for geodesies and distances, and allows fast computation of sample statistics. To demonstrate this approach, we present an application in planar shape classification.

The representation and modelling of regions is an important topic in computer vision. In this paper, we represent a region via a level set of a 'phase field' function. The function is not constrained, e.g. to be a distance function; nevertheless, phase field energies equivalent to classical active contour energies can be defined. They represent an advantageous alternative to other methods: a linear representation space; ease of implementation (a PDE with no reinitialization); neutral initialization; greater topological freedom. We extend the basic phase field model with terms that reproduce 'higher-order active contour' energies, a powerful way of including prior geometric knowledge in the active contour framework via nonlocal interactions between contour points, in addition to the above advantages, the phase field greatly simplifies the analysis and implementation of the higher-order terms. We define a phase field model that favours regions composed of thin arms meeting at junctions, combine this with image terms, and apply the model to the extraction of line networks from remote sensing images

Classification results obtained using wavelet-based texture analysis techniques vary with the choice of mother wavelet used in the methodology. We discuss the use of mother wavelet filters as parameters in a probabilistic approach to texture analysis based on adaptive biorthogonal wavelet packet bases. The optimal choice for the mother wavelet filters is estimated from the data, in addition to the other model parameters. The model is applied to the classification of single texture images and mosaics of Brodatz textures, the results showing improvement over the performance of standard wavelets for a given filter length.

Using the framework of higher-order active contours, we present a new quadratic continuation energy for the extraction of line networks (e.g. road, hydrographic, vascular) in the presence of occlusions. Occlusions create gaps in the data that frequently translate to gaps in the extracted network. The new energy penalizes nearby opposing extremities of the network, and thus favours the closure of the gaps created by occlusions. Nearby opposing extremities are identified using a sophisticated interaction between pairs of points on the contour. This new model allows the extraction of fully connected networks, even though occlusions violate common assumptions about the homogeneity of the interior, and high contrast with the exterior, of the network. We present experimental results on real aerial images that demonstrate the effectiveness of the new model for network extraction tasks.

Although subband histograms of the wavelet coefficients of natural images possess a characteristic leptokurtotic form, this is no longer true for wavelet packet bases adapted to a given texture. Instead, three types of subband statistics are observed: Gaussian, leptokurtotic, and interestingly, in some subbands, multimodal histograms. These subbands are closely linked to the structure of the texture, and guarantee that the most probable image is not flat. Motivated by these observations, we propose a probabilistic model that takes them into account. Adaptive wavelet packet subbands are modelled as Gaussian, generalized Gaussian, or a constrained Gaussian mixture. We use a Bayesian methodology, finding MAP estimates for the adaptive basis, for subband model selection, and for subband model parameters. Results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach, and highlight the importance of multimodal subbands for texture discrimination and modelling.

We discuss the use of adaptive biorthogonal wavelet packet bases in a probabilistic approach to texture analysis, thus combining the advantages of biorthogonal wavelets (FIR, linear phase) with those of a coherent texture model. The computation of the probability uses both the primal and dual coefficients of the adapted biorthogonal wavelet packet basis. The computation of the biorthogonal wavelet packet coefficients is done using a lifting scheme, which is very efficient. The model is applied to the classification of mosaics of Brodatz textures, the results showing improvement over the performance of the corresponding orthogonal wavelets.

Remote sensing imagery plays an important role in many fields. It has become an invaluable tool for diverse applications ranging from cartography to ecosystem management. In many of the images processed in these types of applications, semantic entities in the scene are correlated with textures in the image. In this paper, we propose a new method of analysing such textures based on adaptive probabilistic models of wavelet packets. Our approach adapts to the principal periodicities present in the textures, and can capture long-range correlations while preserving the independence of the wavelet packet coefficients. This technique has been applied to several remote sensing images, the results of which are presented. 1

We introduce Gaussian mixture models of 'structure' and colour features in order to classify coloured textures in images, with a view to the retrieval of textured colour images from databases. Classifications are performed separately using structure and colour and then combined using a confidence criterion. We apply the models to the VisTex database and to the classification of man-made and natural areas in aerial images. We compare these models with others in the literature, and show an overall improvement in performance.

Two main issues arise when working in the area of texture segmentation: the need to describe the texture accurately by capturing its underlying structure, and the need to perform analyses on the boundaries of textures. Herein, we tackle these problems within a consistent probabilistic framework. Starting from a probability distribution on the space of infinite images, we generate a distribution on arbitrary finite regions by marginalization. For a Gaussian distribution, the computational requirement of diagonalization and the modelling requirement of adaptivity together lead naturally to adaptive wavelet packet models that capture the 'significant amplitude features' in the Fourier domain. Undecimated versions of the wavelet packet transform are used to diagonalize the Gaussian distribution efficiently, albeit approximately. We describe the implementation and application of this approach and present results obtained on several Brodatz texture mosaics.

The goal in image segmentation is to label pixels in an image based on the properties of each pixel and its surrounding region. Recently content-based image retrieval (CBIR) has emerged as an application area in which retrieval is attempted by trying to gain unsupervised access to the image semantics directly rather than via manual annotation. To this end, we present an unsupervised segmentation technique in which colour and texture models are learned from the image prior to segmentation, and whose output (including the models) may subsequently be used as a content descriptor in a CBIR system. These models are obtained in a multiresolution setting in which hidden Markov trees (HMT) are used to model the key statistical properties exhibited by complex wavelet and scaling function coefficients. The unsupervised mean shift iteration (MSI) procedure is used to determine a number of image regions which are then used to train the models for each segmentation class.

We describe a new form of energy functional for the modeling and identification of regions in images. The energy is defined on the space of boundaries in the image domain and can incorporate very general combinations of modeling information both from the boundary (intensity gradients, etc.) and from the interior of the region (texture, homogeneity, etc.). We describe two polynomial-time digraph algorithms for finding the global minima of this energy. One of the algorithms is completely general, minimizing the functional for any choice of modeling information. It runs in a few seconds on a 256/spl times/256 image. The other algorithm applies to a subclass of functionals, but has the advantage of being extremely parallelizable. Neither algorithm requires initialization.

We propose a new form of energy functional for the segmentation of regions in images, and an efficient method for finding its global optima. The energy can have contributions from both the region and its boundary, thus combining the best features of region- and boundary-based approaches to segmentation. By transforming the region energy into a boundary energy, we can treat both contributions on an equal footing, and solve the global optimization problem as a minimum mean weight cycle problem on a directed graph. The simple, polynomial-time algorithm requires no initialization and is highly parallelizable.