Graphical tools for interactive image interpretation

Abstract

This paper describes BROWSE, an interactive raster image display facility which is a major component of a larger integrated Map Assisted Photo-interpretation System (MAPS), being developed as a prototype interactive aid for photo-interpretation. Application areas for this research include image cartography, land use studies and reconnaissance, as well as image database organization, storage, and retrieval. BROWSE is a window-oriented display manager which supports raster image display, overlay of graphical data such as map descriptions and image processing segmentations, and the specification and generation of 3D shaded surface models. Digitized imagery from black and white and color aerial mapping photographs is displayed by BROWSE at multiple levels of resolution and allows for dynamic positioning, zooming, expansion or shrinking of the image window. Map data represented as vectors and polygons can be superimposed on the imagery through image-to-map registration. Access to collateral map databases and terrain models may be accomplished using the BROWSE graphical interface. Finally, the window representation gives a convenient communication mechanism for passing image fragments to image interpretation programs, which generally run as separate processes. The results of such processing can be returned to BROWSE for further processing by the user. We will discuss the rationale behind the design of BROWSE as well as its application to domains including aerial photo-interpretation and 3D cartography.