Welcome back, the imaging and video

processing field
is an exciting one for a number of
reasons.
One of which is the amazing diversity of
both the applications that use imaging and
video
processing techniques, but also the type
of images
that arise and which derive any type of
radiation.
Now, when we think of images and videos,
the ones that
come to mind first are the ones that we
can see.
At any given moment however, we see very
little of the radiation around us.
Of course this is good enough for us to
function fully, and we don't need
necessarily Superman's X-ray vision.
Our eyes, like any sensor, give a certain
bandwidth.
And allow us to see the so called visable
part of the EM spectrum.
From an evolutionary perspective, the band
of
EM radiation that the human eye perceives
is
perhaps optimal, since the data that is
used is highly reli, reliable and
abundantly available.
The sun emits strongly the visible bond,
and the
earth's atmosphere is also transparent in
the visible wavelength.
Having a limited bandwidth is also a form
of data reduction.
We would have been overwhelmed had we been
able to
sense a much broader area of frequencies
in the EM spectrum.
In this segment, we look at representative
images from the various parts of the EM
spectrum from gamma ray images from one
end to the radio band at the other end.
We also look at representative images
outside the
EM spectrum, such as
ultrasound, electromicroscopy and
computer-generated images.
Regarding the dimensionality of the
objects we, we are
imaging, due to the invention of powerful
telescopes and
microscopes we're ab, we're able to see
the atomic
structure of objects and objects far away
in the sky.
The sizes of objects we can see now are
from a few nanometers.
Took hundreds of thousands of light years.
So lets look at some fun images in this
segment.
One aspect of image and video processing
that makes it
such an exciting topic of study, is the
amazing diversity
of applications that use image processing
or image analyzing techniques,
as well as the diversity of image types
that arise.
In trying to put some order in our
minds regarding the various image types,
it's important to
realize that the principle source of
energy for
images in use today is the electromagnetic
energy spectrum.
So, we will look at examples of the types
of imaging originating from the various
parts of the spectrum.
Some of the most exciting developments in
medical imaging
for example, are the result of new
sensors, that records
image data from previously little known
sources of radiation, such as positron
emission tomography, PET, and magnetic
resonance imaging, MRI.
Or new sensors, that sense radiation in
new ways, as in computer aided tomography,
CAT.
While X-rays are collected from multiple
angles to reconstruct a ridge aggregate
image.
Another important source of imagery
includes acoustic or ultrasonic radiation.
Ultrasound is a, a sound pressure wave
with frequency
greater than the upper limit of the human
hearing range.
Another important source of energy
includes electronic in
the form of electron beams used in
electron microscopy.
And finally, we have images that do not
exist in nature.
But they exist in our minds, and then with
the use of computer
graphics, they can be given shape and
form, and they can be visualized.
And, we'll show some examples of all the
images above, starting with the study
of the images resulting from the various
part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Another possible classification of the
images is
into reflection images, emission images,
and absorption images.
Reflection images sends radiation that has
been reflected from the surface of
objects.
The radiation itself may be ambi, ambient
or artificial.
It could be from one source or multiple
sources.
The type of information that can be
extracted from reflection images is
primarily about object surfaces regarding
their
shapes, textures, color reflectivity, et
cetera.
Most of our daily experience in optical
imaging through our eyes is about
reflection images.
Other known visible examples include radar
images, sonar images, lar,
laser images and even some type of
electron microscopy images.
Emission images are even simpler, since in
this case
the objects that are being imaged are self
luminous.
In this case, the information is primarily
about the internal structure of the
objects.
And the examples of emission images are
thermal, infrared and MRI.
Finally, absorption images provide
information
about the internal structure of objects.
In this case the radiation passes through
objects and it's
partially absorbed or attenuated by the
material composed in the object.
Examples include X-rays, transmission
microscopy, and types of sonic images.
Here's a picture of the electromagnetic
spectrum, which is
the range of all possible frequencies of
electromagnetic radiation.
The electromagnetic spectrum extends from
below the low frequencies used for modern
radio communications, to gamma radiation
at the short wavelength high frequencies.
It covers therefore wavelengths from
thousands of kilometers down here to
a fraction of the size of the atom at the
other end.
It might be hard to read all the numbers
but
the scale here is logarithmic so this is
one held here.
So then ten to the first is here, the
second,
the third, and if you call all the way
it's
ten to the fourteenth up here at the gamma
rays,
and you can do a similar thing for the
wavelength.
We see here that the visible part of the
spectrum is just a tiny part of the EM
spectrum.
And what we'll do next is just
go through some representative example
when, example when
comes to gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet,
visible,
infrared all the way down to radio
frequencies.
Major uses of imaging based on gamma
rays include nuclear, medicine, and
astronomical observations.
In nuclear medicine, the patient is
injected with a
radioactive isotope that emits gamma rays
as it decays.
Images are then generated from the
emissions collected by gamma ray
detectors.
So the first image shows a complete bone
scan.
Images of that nature are used to locate
infections or tumors.
In positive emission tomography, PET, the
patient is given
a radioactive isotope that emits positrons
as it decays.
When a positron meets an electron, both
are
eliminated and two gamma rays are given
off.
These then are detected and a tomographic
image
is created using a, the basic principles
of CT.
So its similar to X-ray CT.
Another application is gamma ray
radiography systems, capable of scanning
tracks, using a range active source and a
vertical tower of gamma detectors.
This gamma camera is able to produce one
column of an image while the horizontal
dimension of the image is produced by
moving either the track or the scanning
hardware.
The system provides good quality images we
can be, which can be used for identifying
cargo, and by comparing it to a reference,
anomalies can be detected.
We also have instances where an image is
obtained
using the natural radiation of the object
being imaged.
This is the case for example of the star
in the constellation of Cygnus, exploded
about 15,000 years ago generating a super
heated
stationary dust cloud known as the Cygnus
Loop.
And this is what this figure C shows here.
similarly, we can observe the natural
radiation of an object being
imaged as here, the bright spot from a
reactor valve.
X-rays were first observed and documented
in 1895 by Redkin.
A German scientist who found them quite
by accident when experimenting with vacuum
tubes.
A week later, he took an X-ray photograph
of his
wife's hand, which clearly revealed her
wedding ring and her bones.
Redkin called it X to indicate that it was
an unknown type of radiation.
Although sometimes they're called also
Redkin Rays.
So X-rays are among the oldest sources
used for imaging.
They're generated when electrons which
flow in a vacuum tube, strike
a nucleus and energy is released in the
form of X-ray radiation.
The best known use of X-rays is medical
diagnostics.
But they're also used in industry and
other areas like astronomy.
So here we see a chest X-ray and
here is the Cygnus Loop that emits X-rays
naturally.
Higher energy X-rays are used for
industrial
inspection and here we see the X-ray of
a, a circuit board which clearly is
done to find possible abnormalities on the
board.
There are a number of applications for
ultraviolet imaging such as
lithography, industrial inspection,
fluorescence microscopy,
lasers, biological imaging, and
astronomical observations.
Actually fluorescence microscopy is one of
the fastest growing areas in microscopy.
Fluorescence is a phenomenon which was
discovered
when it was observed in the mid 1800s.
That the mineral our fluorspar fluoresces
when UV light is directed up on it.
UV light is not visible but when a photon
of UV collides with an electron
in an atom of a fluorescent material, it
elevates the electron to a higher energy
level.
The excited electron relaxes to a lower
level
and emits light in the visible red region.
Materials actually can have primary
fluorescence or secondary fluor, secondary
fluorescence, when they are treated with
chemicals capable of fluorescing.
Regarding astronomical observations, we
show here an
ultraviolet image of the globular cluster,
NCG 1851.
In our daily experience, we think that
what
we see is what really exists around us,
but
in truth, our eyes record very little of
the information that is available at any
given moment.
As with any sensor, the human eye has a
limited bandwidth.
The band of electromagnetic radiation that
we are able to see, or the visible light,
is quite small, as we can see from this
chart of the electromagnetic spectrum.
It is typically from 390 [SOUND]
to 700
nanometers and in terms of frequency, this
corresponds
to a band in the vicinity of 430 to 790
terahertz.
At any given moment, we see very little of
the available radiation around us.
Although this is certainly adequate to
allow us to function fully.
From an evolutionary prospective, the band
of
EM wavelengths that the human eye
perceives,
is perhaps optimal, since the data that
is used, is highly reliable, and
abundantly available.
The sun emits strongly the visible bands
and the
Earth's atmosphere is also transparent in
the visible wavelengths.
Having a limited bandwidth of course, is a
form of data reduction.
We could have been overwhelmed by the
amount of data, had we been
able to sense a much broader range of
frequencies in the EM spectrum.
Imaging of the visible band, outweighs by
far all the
others, in terms of breadth of the
applications, like
microscopy is an area with a wide range of
applications.
We show here three images obtained of, by
a light microscope and you see a
cholesterol magnified
40 times, a microprocessor magnified 60
times, and
the surface of an audio CD magnified 1750
times.
Next in the visible band is the infared
band.
We spoke earlier about landsat imaging as
used for example,
in mode sensing in the introduction of
this weeks class.
We show here again a seven band landsat
image.
This is the blue channel, the green of the
red channel
[INAUDIBLE] IR frequency band to [SOUND]
middle, [SOUND]
[UNKNOWN] bands and finally a thermal
[UNKNOWN] band.
Each of them provides useful information
about
the, the, the area that is being imaged
some
of them can discriminate vegetation
better,
others moisture, others minerals and so
on.
This picture shows an application of IR
imagining.
These images are part of the nightline
lights of the
world data set, which provides a global
inventory of human settlements.
The image was generated by the IR imaging
system, mounted
on a National, Oceanographic, and
Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, a NOAA
Satellite.
The satellite operates in the band, ten to
13.4 micro-meters.
And has the unique capabilities to observe
faint sources of visible near IR emissions
present on the Earth's surface including
cities, towns, villages, fires and so on.
So we see here, the map of the United
States
there are certainly dark areas around here
and here, and then
the map lights up around metropolitan
areas like Chicago is
over here and New York around here and Los
Angeles here.
We also see the map of Europe over here.
It's also well lit up but the whole
continent of Africa is rather dark.
After the IR band, we are now imaging in
the microwave band.
We see here, an image of the Death Valley.
As seen from the space shuttle's synthetic
aperture radar instrument.
SAR is usually implemented by mounting on
a moving
platform such as an aircraft of spacecraft
in this particular
case, a single beam, beam-forming antenna
from which a target
scene is repeatedly illumi, illuminated
with pulses of radio waves.
At wavelengths anywhere from a meter down
to millimeters.
This particular image here is clearly in
false color.
The surface color and intensity represent
the
radar reflection properties of the ground
cover.
The image is arranged like a map.
The image pixels represent approximately
rectangles on the ground.
We're imaging now in the radio band.
As with the case, when imaging at the
other end of the spectrum, imaging with
gamma rays, the major applications of
imagine in
the radio band are in medicine and
astronomy.
Me.
In medicine, radio waves are used in
magnetic resonance imaging.
You see here an MRI image of a human
spine.
This technique places a patient in a
powerful magnet and
passes radio waves through the person's
body in short pulses.
Each pulse causes a corresponding pulse of
radio
waves to be emitted by the patients
tissues.
The location from which these signals
originate and their strength are
determined by
a computer which produces a
two-dimensional
picture of a section of a patient.
Although imagining in the electromagnetic
spectrum is
dominant, there are a number of other
imaging modalities that are also important
as
we mentioned in the beginning of the
presentation.
So specifically, we'll say a few things
about acoustic imaging, electromicroposy,
and computer generated imaging.
So imaging using sound has applications
in geological exploration, industrial
applications, and medicine.
So, when it comes to ultrasounds,
ultrasound
imaging is used in applications like
manufacturing.
But the best known application of this
technique is in medicine.
And especially in obstetrics, where the
unborn babies
are imaged to determine the health of
their development.
So the basic idea behind ultrasound
imaging is
that there is a probe which consists of a
source and a receiver which transmits high
frequency,
one to five megahertz sound pulses into
the body.
So the sound travels into the body and
hits boundaries between soft tissue let's
say, in bone.
So some of the sound waves are deflected
by the probe, while
some others travel further down to hit
another boundary and get reflected.
So, these reflected waves are picked up by
the probe and relayed to the computer.
And the computer calculates the distance
from the probe to
the tissue or the organ boundary, using
the speed of sound.
At the end, the system displays the
distances and intensities of the echos.
On the screen, forming a two-dimensional
image, and this is the image
we see here of this embryo 12 weeks, or 14
weeks rather.
Electron microscopy is an imaging method
outside of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Electron microscopes function the same way
as optical microscopes.
But now instead of light they use a beam
of electrons.
So a beam of electrons is produced by an
electron source and they're
accelerated towards a specimen,
interactions occur
inside the sample, effecting the electron
beam.
So these interactions and effects are
detected, and transformed into an image,
the
same way that light is reflected or
absorbed by objects in the scene.
So with the scanning electron microscope,
SEM, the electron beam scans
and records interaction of the beam with
the sample in each and every location.
So a completely images form by just raster
scanning of the beam through the sample.
So what we see here is, an SEM image of
normal circulating human blood.
And we can see in this image red blood
cells.
This for example as well as white blood
cells.
White light microscopes can reach
amplifications up to a factor of a 1,000.
Electron microscopes can reach
magnifications of up to
a factor of [UNKNOWN] 10,000 and even
more.
Computer graphics, it's an exciting field
of research and development.
It studies methods for digitally
synthesizing and manipulating visual
content.
It addresses the various technologies used
to create and manipulate images.
One of their objectives is the creation of
photo realistic images.
And here you see an example of
a really beautiful and appealing computer
generated image.
Regarding the scale of the images we'll be
dealing with.
The invention of powerful microscopes and
telescopes, has opened
to us the gates of nano and galactic
worlds,
and enabled us to take images of objects
that
were previously too small or too big to
capture.
So the sizes of objects we can see now,
vary from a few nanometers for
the AFM image shown here of silicon atoms,
through hundreds
of thousands light years for the Andromeda
galaxy shown here.
So down here is the scale, here's one
meter and it goes all the
way to ten to the 21st here and 10 to the
minus nine here.
An important point is that no matter what
the
scale of the image is, the processing
techniques we will
be developing, and discussing, and
analyzinig in this class are in principle
applicable to any image, independently of
scale.
I hope you enjoyed the first week of
class.
During this week, I tried to paint the big
picture, what does, image and video
processing mean and what are some of the
types of images one can work with.
We did not talk much about applications,
since we have plenty of time
to do so, and in considerable detail for
the remaining of the class.
You can, of course go back to the
promotional
video, and check some of the application
examples there.
We saw that there are many diverse type of
images originating from the various parts
of the electromagnetic spectrum, and also
outside
the spectrum such as acoustic and
electronic images.
One of the main attributes which make
image and video processing an exciting
field.
There is also such a wide range of sizes
of objects
we are imaging from the nano world to the
galactic world.
Now, what you should keep in mind is that
some of the principles we'll be
covered in this class such as sampling
and operations of linear and special
invariant filters.
And the frequency domain representation of
signals and
systems, are image type and image scale
dependent.
That is we can apply them to any image.
On the other hand, while the principals
of the important applications we'll be
covering,
enhanced [INAUDIBLE], recovery,
compression and segmentation, are
also image type and image scale dependent.
A lot can be gained if we have information
about the process that generated these
images so that the processing now can be
adapted to the type of the image.
We'll be revisiting these concepts later
in the course.
So again I hope you had a smooth
introduction to the course.
Next week, we'll start talking about
specific
signals and systems that process such
signals.
So, see you next week.