TABLE OF CONTENTS Imaging systems construct an (output) image in response to (input) signals from diverse types of objects. They can be classified in a number of ways, e.g. according to the radiation or field used, the property being investigated, or whether the images are formed directly or indirectly. Medical imaging systems, for example, take input signals which arise from various properties of the body of a patient, such as its attenuation of x-rays or reflection of ultrasound. The resulting images can be continuous, i.e. analog, or discrete, i.e. digital; the former can be converted into the latter by digitization. The challenge is to obtain an output image that is an accurate representation of the input signal, and then to analyze it and extract as much diagnostic information from the image as possible.
After reading this chapter you will be able to:
appreciate the breadth and scope of digital image processing;
classify imaging systems according to different criteria;
distinguish between analog, sampled and digital images;
identify the advantages of digital imaging;
describe the components of a generic digital image processing system;
outline the operations involved in the various fundamental classes of image processing;
list examples of digital image processing applications within a variety of fields.
Of the five senses sight, hearing,...
