Mathematical methods for shape analysis and form comparison in 3D anthropometry: A literature review

Abstract

Form comparison is a fundamental part of many anthropometric, biological, anthropological, archaeological and botanical researches, etc. In traditional anthropometric form comparison methods, geometry characteristics and internal structure of surface points are not adequately considered. Form comparison of 3D anthropometric data can make up the deficiency of traditional methods. In this paper, methods for analyzing 3D other than 2D objects are highlighted. We summarize the advance of form comparison techniques in the last decades. According to whether they are based upon anatomical landmarks, we partition them into two main categories, landmark-based methods and landmark-free methods. The former methods are further sub-divided into deformation methods, superimposition methods, and methods based on linear distances, while the latter methods are sub-divided into shape statistics-based methods, methods based on function analysis, view-based methods, topology-based methods, and hybrid methods. Examples for each method are presented. The discussion about their advantages and disadvantages are also introduced. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.