Improving a rough set theory-based segmentation approach using adaptable threshold selection and perceptual color spaces

Abstract

We propose a color image segmentation approach based on rough set theory elements. Main contributions of the proposed approach are twofold. First, by using an adaptive threshold selection, the approach is automatically adjustable according to the image content. Second, a region-merging process, which takes into account both features and spatial relations of the resulting segments, lets us minimize over-segmentation issues. These two proposals allow our method to overcome some performance issues shown by previous rough set theory-based approaches. In addition, a study to determine the best suited color representation for our segmentation approach is carried out, determining that the best results are obtained using a perceptually uniform color space. A set of qualitative and quantitative tests over a comprehensive image database shows that the proposed method produces high-quality segmentation outcomes, better than those obtained using the previous rough set theory-based and standard segmentation approaches. © The Authors.