Dynamic hierarchical segmentation of remote sensing images

Abstract

Recursive tree-structured segmentation is a powerful tool to deal with the non-stationary nature of images. By fitting model parameters to each region/class under analysis one can adapt the segmentation algorithm to the local image statistics, thus improving accuracy. However, a single model/segmenter cannot fit regions with wildly different nature, and one should be allowed to select in a suitable library the tool most suited to the local statistics. In this paper, we implement this dynamic segmentation/classification paradigm, using two segmenters, based on spectral and textural properties, respectively, and defining suitable rules for switching model locally. Experiments on remote-sensing mosaics show that the multiple-model dynamic algorithm largely outperforms comparable single-model segmenters. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.