An Interactive Image Interpretation System and its Characteristics
Yan Shou · National Remote Sensing Bulletin · 2002
In order to make image interpretation more accurate, efficient and flexible, and to enable remote sensing more useful in updateing some of data sets in GIS, an Interactive Image Interpretation System (I 3S)has been developed in Windows NT and VC ++ 6.0 environment since 1998. I 3S,in fact, is a raster-based system with a structure of toolbox and friendly interfaces. Through an interactive way, the system integrates the advantages of computers and human brain, functions of image processing system and GIS, experience of visual image interpretation and knowledge of geosciences together. The system, in general, can be operated in three modes:module application, single system application and multi￣system application. The first mode means one of the modules in the system is used for solving some of problems in an image interpretation process, such as registration of image and corresponding map, etc. In the second mode,I 3S is applied to image interpretation with small or medium scale through the combination of some function modules of the system. The last one is the mode for the task with large scale through networking and operating of multiple I 3S together. The module functions of the system can be divided into two categories:support module and interpretation module functions. The former consist of those functions to support system operation in normal. The functions are data input and output, registration of images and maps, image enhancement and data fusion, image filtering, extraction of double edges, RGB-IHS transformation, color exchange, data conversion from vector to raster or reverse, and interface to network, etc. The latter includes the modules to support image interpretation or classification directly, which are map layer manager, classification manager, image browser, tools of manual interpretation (such as pan brush, semi-automatically or automatically edge tracking, attribute assignment, rubber, etc.)and post-processing of classification, statistical result generation, graphic editing in raster or vector format, etc. In the system application mode, the different combinations of the function modules can flexibly formulate a series of system functions for image interpretation. They are as follows:interactive visual interpretation, supervised classification, image-segmented classification, ancillary band-added classification, dynamic change interpretation and human-machine mixed interpretation. Therefore, I 3S gives interpretation experts more space to play their leading roles in image interpretation. The principle, architectures, functions and characteristics of the system are presented in the paper.