DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING

Wavelet Transform
Definition:
The wavelet transform is similar to the Fourier transform with a completely different merit
function. The main difference is this: Fourier transform decomposes the signal into sines and
cosines, i.e. the functions localized in Fourier space; in contrary the wavelet transform uses
functions that are localized in both the real and Fourier space. Generally, the wavelet transform
can be expressed by the following equation:

Wavelet transforms are a mathematical means for performing signal analysis when signal
frequency varies over time. For certain classes of signals and images, wavelet analysis provides
more precise information about signal data than other signal analysis techniques.

Explanation:
The wavelet transform is a mathematical tool that decomposes a signal into a representation that
shows signal details and trends as a function of time. You can use this representation to
characterize transient events, reduce noise, compress data, and perform many other operations.
The main advantages of wavelet methods over traditional Fourier methods are the use of
localized basis functions and the faster computation speed. Localized basis functions are ideal for
analyzing real physical situations in which a signal contains discontinuities and sharp spikes.

 Wavelets are a more general way to represent and analyze multiresolution images
 Can also be applied to 1D signals
 Very useful for
o Image compression (e.g., in the JPG-2000 standard)
o Removing noise

In signal processing, wavelets make it possible to recover weak signals from noise . This has
proven useful especially in the processing of X-ray and magnetic-resonance images in medical
applications. Images processed in this way can be "cleaned up" without blurring the details.

Wavelet compression is not yet widely used on the Web. The most common compressed image
formats remain the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF ), used mainly for drawings, and JPEG,
used mainly for photographs.

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Application:
The following are applications of wavelet transforms:

 Data and Image Compression

 Partial Differential Equation Solving
 Transient Detection
 Pattern Recognition
 Texture Analysis
 Noise/Trend Reduction

Types:

The following are types of wavelet transforms:

1. Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT):

Discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is any wavelet transform for which the wavelets are
discretely sampled. As with other wavelet transforms, a key advantage it has over Fourier
transforms is temporal resolution: it captures both frequency and location information (location
in time).The discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is an implementation of the wavelet transform
using a discrete set of the wavelet scales and translations obeying some defined rules. The
wavelet can be constructed from a scaling function which describes its scaling properties.

2. Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT):

Continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is used to divide a continuous-time function into wavelets.
Unlike Fourier transform, the continuous wavelet transform possesses the ability to construct
a time-frequency representation of a signal that offers very good time and frequency localization.
Continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is an implementation of the wavelet transform using
arbitrary scales and almost arbitrary wavelets. The wavelets used are not orthogonal and the data
obtained by this transform are highly correlated.

3. Fast Wavelet Transform (FWT):

In principle the continuous wavelet transform works by using directly the definition of the
wavelet transform, i.e. we are computing a convolution of the signal with the scaled wavelet. For
each scale we obtain by this way an array of the same length N as the signal has. By
using M arbitrarily chosen scales we obtain a field N×M that represents the time-frequency plane
directly.

The algorithm used for this computation can be based on a direct convolution or on a
convolution by means of multiplication in Fourier space (this is sometimes called Fast Wavelet
Transform).

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