The Khoros scientific software environment has become a popular tool for teaching image processing. The broad scope of Khoros and the communities emphasis on collaboration have contributed to this success. The paper describes how Khoros can impact the learning process and gives an example of how it can be utilized by an instructor to enhance an image processing course. The concept of thinking of Khoros as an "authoring system" is introduced and supported by briefly explaining the components of Khoros that make up the authoring system.>

Data flow visual language systems allow users to graphically create a block diagram of their applications and interactively control input, output, and system variables. Khoros is an integrated software development environment for information processing and visualization. It is particularly attractive for image processing because of its rich collection of tools for image and digital signal processing. This paper presents a general overview of Khoros with emphasis on its image processing and DSP tools. Various examples are presented and the future direction of Khoros is discussed.

Data flow visual language systems are being used to provide sophisticated environments for the visualization of scientific data. These systems are evolving rapidly and are beginning to encompass related technologies such as distributed computing and user interface development systems. A hierarchical classification of the components and issues involved is presented, giving an understanding of the design decisions and trade-offs that the developers of these systems are making. The component categories can be used as a framework for discussing where interoperability of competing visual programming environments might occur and what the future holds for these systems.>

N-dimensional clustering and classification algorithms that offer a method for efficiently classifying, segmenting, and visualizing the information contained in multispectral magnetic resonance images are discussed. Novel imaging methods, such as chemical shift imaging, contain spectral information on tissue metabolism. A problem associated with this method of imaging is that the information contained in the spectrum is not easily interpreted, nor is it extendable to the high-resolution proton image. Each of the frequency bands in the chemical shift image can be thought of as a unique feature, or band, of a multiband image. This resulting multiband image is used as input to an algorithm which groups the data into a set of clusters. The cluster image is segmented via unsupervised and supervised classification. This classification defines regions of the image defined by the chemical characteristics of the tissue. The advantage of this approach over current image interpretation schemes is that this method allows one to compile several feature images, revealing relationships between contributing features, which can be visualized in a single image.>

XVision is a software system for image processing research, education and applications. Xyvision utilizes the X Window System Version 11, which provides a network transparent windowing environment and software portability. Xyvision is designed to facilitate: data and algorithm exchange of new computer vision/image processing techniques,image processing training and education,development of turn key vision solutions for various application areas (automation, medicine, biology, astronomy, etc).XVision is a comprehensive system because it supports generation of new programs (extendibility), and integration, maintenance, modification and documentation of existing programs; and it includes: three user interfaces; a menuing system, a quick command line interface that can be customized and a standardized UNIX‡-like command line interface. A visual programming language, xvglyph, is under development.tutorials, manual pages, experiments, automated demonstrations and other supplemental documentation.an image processing library written in C,interactive image display and enhancement, image editing and creation, 2D, 3D, and contour plotting, and data creation/display via user specified functions.The Xyvision project started in February of 1987 with its first release in August of 1987. This paper describes the second version which incorporates changes suggested by many of the users (over 30 different institutions) of Xyvision Version 1.0 [1]. One of the most important design goals of the Xyvision project is to provide for easy growth and extendibility. This has been accomplished by clearly defining software levels, software systems and their standard interfaces, and by providing programming tools and a variety of user interfaces for the Xyvision user/maintainer.