Data comparison schemes for Pattern Recognition in Digital Images using Fractals

Pattern recognition in digital images is a common problem with application in remote sensing, electron microscopy, medical imaging, seismic imaging and astrophysics for example. Although this subject has been researched for over twenty years there is still no general solution which can be compared with the human cognitive system in which a pattern can be recognised subject to arbitrary orientation and scale. The application of Artificial Neural Networks can in principle provide a very general solution providing suitable training schemes are implemented. However, this approach raises some major issues in practice. First, the CPU time required to train an ANN for a grey level or colour image can be very large especially if the object has a complex structure with no clear geometrical features such as those that arise in remote sensing applications. Secondly, both the core and file space memory required to represent large images and their associated data tasks leads to a number of problems in which the use of virtual memory is paramount. The primary goal of this research has been to assess methods of image data compression for pattern recognition using a range of different compression methods. In particular, this research has resulted in the design and implementation of a new algorithm for general pattern recognition based on the use of fractal image compression. This approach has for the first time allowed the pattern recognition problem to be solved in a way that is invariant of rotation and scale. It allows both ANNs and correlation to be used subject to appropriate pre-and post-processing techniques for digital image processing on aspect for which a dedicated programmer's work bench has been developed using X-Designer.