A lowcomplexity speck-based codec for multispectral fluorescence microscopic images
Awais Mansoor, Joseph Paul Robinson, Bartek P. Rajwa · 2010
The distortion scalable wavelet based coder SPECK is widely referred to in literature as achieving excellent coding performance with very low computational complexity compared to other state-of-the-art encoders. In this paper, we propose a 3D extension to SPECK designed for lossless coding of low-SNR fluorescence microscopic multispectral images by joining and encoding together different wavelet subbands. The idea is based on an observation that in comparison to other image types, fluorescence images have a larger proportion of energy concentrated in the lowest frequency subbands, whereas the energy inside higher frequency subbands constitute a considerably small portion. Also, subbands at the same level of wavelet-transformed image are found to be highly correlated. Consequently, encoding higher subbands by grouping them together in a single block results in a considerable bit saving. In order to maximize the block size of coefficients that can be encoded together, a new set type is introduced. The proposed technique applied to test multispectral microscopic images demonstrates a significant bit savings. Index Terms — 3D SPECK, fluorescence imaging, multispectral imaging, microscopic image encoding, low-SNR image encoding. 1.