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2, April 2006
Abstract: A combination of K-means, watershed segmentation method, and Difference In Strength (DIS) map was used to
perform image segmentation and edge detection tasks. We obtained an initial segmentation based on K-means clustering
technique. Starting from this, we used two techniques; the first is watershed technique with new merging procedures based on
mean intensity value to segment the image regions and to detect their boundaries. The second is edge strength technique to
obtain an accurate edge maps of our images without using watershed method. In this paper: We solved the problem of
undesirable oversegmentation results produced by the watershed algorithm, when used directly with raw data images. Also,
the edge maps we obtained have no broken lines on entire image and the final edge detection result is one closed boundary per
actual region in the image.
Keywords: Watershed, difference in strength map, K-means, edge detection, image segmentation.
3. To find adjacency relations of the regions in our 2. Create RAG (i. e., R1 is a head, R2, R3, R5, R4 are
image, to get rid of oversegmentation results and to chain connected with R1) & edge points list (current
do merging process (see next section), RAG was pixel i is an edge pixel). In the final of this
created same as seen in Figure 2-a and its data procedure, RAG and edge pixels for our image were
structure was shown in Figure 2-c. obtained. Then merging procedure (next section)
4. Then to get edge pixels list, RAB was created and based on mean value of each region and edge
its data structure was shown in Figure 2-b, where strengths (T1, T2).
edge strengths come from this data structure and
there is one and only one edge between every two
adjacent regions. In this procedure, for every two
regions i, j, we calculated:
a. Edge pixel pointer.
b. Edge length (N).
c. Edge strengths.
d. Next edge pointer for another two regions k, l [4]. 6-Partitions of an image Corresponding RAG
Then
Original
clustering DIS Edge map (a) Segmented regions and adjacency graph.
image
method
Represent Region i i
Region
intensity values ThePosition
The Position points to the current
pointer
pointer edge pixel (i, j) position
Region j j
Region
Get gradient
image
TheEdge
The Edge pointer
pointer
Figure1. Block diagram of our proposed method. Re.4 Re.1 Re.2 Re.3 Re.6
Re5 Re.1
In RAG data structure Figure 2-c, R1 is a head, and
R2, R3, R5, R4 are chain connected with R1. In creating Re.6 Re.4
edge pixels RAB Figure 2-b, a pointer from every two
(c) RAG data structure correspond to (a).
adjacent regions was used to assign the position of the
current pixel (i, j) as an edge pixel and so on for other Columns
coloumns
K M
edge points positions (x1, y1 to xN, yN) which
represent the positions of the edge pixels (e. g., K M
Where Gradient (p) represents edge points gradient 4. Difference in Strength Technique
values which come from the gradient image step (see The DIS for each pixel was calculated using equation
block diagram in Figure 1) for all pixels (p) on the (7) [10]. After processing all the input pixels, the DIS
edge between every two regions, and N are the number
map was obtained. In DIS map, the larger the DIS
of edge pixels. value is, the more the pixel is likely located at the
edge. At this step, a 3x3 window runs pixel by pixel on
the input image. When the window runs over the
bolder of the input image, pixels outside the bolder are
given the gray level of the input nearest to it. The DIS
108 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 3, No. 2, April 2006
Z1 Z3 Z1 Z5 Z1 Z6 Z1 Z7 Z1 Z8
Z2 Z4 Z2 Z5 Z2 Z6 Z2 Z7 Z2 Z8
Z3 Z4 Z3 Z6 Z3 Z7 Z3 Z8 Z4 Z5
Z4 Z7 Z4 Z8 Z5 Z6 Z5 Z7 Z6 Z8
(a) Original image. (b) DIS map of image (a).
(7)
Z1 Z2 Z3 Z1 Z2 Z3
Z4 Z5 Z4 Z5
Z6 Z7 Z8 Z6 Z7 Z8
References
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Finally, the disadvantages of these techniques Tokyo, vol.6., pp. 798-803, 1999.
depend mainly on k-means results, where if the
clustering procedure is not implemented correctly, the
results are incorrect by the other techniques we used.
However, in this paper we solved the problem of
undesirable oversegmentation results produced by the
watershed algorithm, also the edge maps we obtained
have no broken lines on entire image.
110 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 3, No. 2, April 2006