A data base management system for image processing
Margaret Irvine Chock · 1982
The Picture Database Management System (PICDMS) is a new, general solution to the data-processing processing problems of two-dimensional information (such as images and pictures): data definition, manipulation, and management, establishment of relationships among data from different sources, and handling of enormous data volume. An analysis of existing cartographic systems demonstrates the variation and two-dimensional mixing of standard data structures, and their performance in different situations. It conpares data manipulation capabilities among systems, their ability to interrelate variables from different sources, details of data management, and data storage efficiency. PICDMS are designed includes the following unique features: (1) Dynamic stacked-image data structure, (2) A data dictionary for storage of current data formats, (3) Flexible data manipulation capabilities, (4) A simple, easily understood data definition and manipulation language, (5) Automatic adaptation of the data access algorithm for maximum efficiency, (6) An Operations Dictionary for storage of standard operations, security and integrity constraints, and administrative procedures for the local implementation of the system, (7) An automatic file-handling system for security and redundancy control, (8) A resource access protocol to allow resource sharing among users, and (9) Detailed measurements of the time use of each module by each operation to allow performance analysis. The basic components of PICDMS which have been constructed constitute a working system which is already in some ways more powerful than existing software for two-dimensional data processing. It includes the data structure, data dictionary, data manipulation capabilities, data manipulation language, automatic choice among three access methods, access protocols, and performance measurements of the original design. The PICDMS approach to numerous simple and two complex data processing problems is described. For another set of problems it is compared in processing steps to a well-known image-processing system.