This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First Brazilian Symposium on Document Image Analysis, BSDIA'97, held in Curitiba in November 1997. The volume presents 19 revised full papers selected from 30 submissions as well as eight full-paper invited contributions by internationally leading authorities. The invited papers give a unique survey of the state of the art in the area. The selected papers are organized in sections on low level processing, document processing and retrieval, handwriting recognition, signature verification, and application systems.

This book is part of the refereed 2-volume proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Image Analysis and Processing, ICIAP'97, held in Florence, Italy, September 1997.
Both volumes together present several keynote contributions and 173 revised papers selected from over 300 submissions. The contributing authors (more than 400 in number) provide a wealth of new results in the areas of image analysis, pattern recognition and computer vision. Among the basic topics covered are image enhancement, image segmentation, image compression, motion analysis, object recognition, image understanding, and special hardware architectures and systems, etc. Among the application areas covered are biomedical imaging, character recognition, safety and surveillance, object identification, etc.

Database research in the last decade has increasingly focused on providing support for non-standard applications. One important domain is representation and processing of spatial information, needed, e.g., in geographical information systems. Spatial data types provide a fundamental abstraction for modeling the structure of geometric entities, their relationships, properties and operations. This monograph is an extensive survey of this field and introduces a new, general, sophisticated framework for the formal definition and robust implementation of spatial data types.

Information extraction (IE) is a new technology enabling relevant content to be extracted from textual information available electronically. IE essentially builds on natural language processing and computational linguistics, but it is also closely related to the well established area of information retrieval and involves learning. In concert with other promising and emerging information engineering technologies like data mining, intelligent data analysis, and text summarization, IE will play a crucial role for scientists and professionals as well as other end-users who have to deal with vast amounts of information, for example from the Internet. As the first book solely devoted to IE, it is of relevance to anybody interested in new and emerging trends in information processing technology.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Computer Analysis of Images and Patterns, CAIP '97, held in Kiel, Germany, in September 1997.
The volume presents 92 revised papers selected during a double-blind reviewing process from a total of 150 high-quality submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on pattern analysis, object recognition and tracking, invariants, applications, shape, texture analysis, motion calibration, low-level processing, structure from motion, stereo and correspondence, segmentation and grouping, mathematical morphology, pose estimation, and face analysis.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First International Conference on Scale-Space Theory for Computer Vision, Scale-Space '97, held in Utrecht, The Netherlands, in July 1997.
The volume presents 21 revised full papers selected from a total of 41 submissions. Also included are 2 invited papers and 13 poster presentations. This book is the first comprehensive documentation of the application of Scale-Space techniques in computer vision and, in the broader context, in image processing and pattern recognition.

Discrete "H"A Optimization is concerned with the study of "H"A optimization for digital signal processing and discrete-time control systems. The first three chapters present the basic theory and standard methods in digital filtering and systems from the frequency-domain approach, followed by a discussion of the general theory of approximation in Hardy spaces. AAK theory is introduced, first for finite-rank operators and then more generally, before being extended to the multi-input/multi-output setting. This mathematically rigorous book is self-contained and suitable for self-study. The advanced mathematical results derived here are applicable to digital control systems and digital filtering.

Knowledge-based (or expert systems) and image processing have been applied to many domains but, although both fields frequently address common application areas, they are rarely applied together. Often a combined knowledge-based system and image processing approach can be highly appropriate and this book provides an insight into both areas and show students how a judicious mix of the two can result in a more effective system. The authors include detailed case studies to illustrate the two approaches as well as worked examples and solutions to problems throughout the text. Third and fourth year undergraduates and MSc students with some computer science background will find this book invaluable. Postgraduates and researchers looking for an introduction to either area - or ways to combine the two - will also welcome this clearly written and comprehensive text.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Information Processing in Medical Imaging, IPMI'97, held in Poultney, Vermont, USA, in June 1997.
The 27 revised full papers presented were selected from a total of 96 submissions; also included are 31 poster presentations. The book is divided into topical sections on shape models and matching, novel imaging methods, segmentation, image quality and statistical character of measured data, registration/mapping, statistical models in functional neuroimaging, and MR analysis and processing.

This publication deals with the application of advanced digital signal processing techniques and neural networks to various telecommunication problems. The editor presents the latest research results in areas such as arrays, mobile channels, acoustic echo cancellation, speech coding and adaptive filtering in varying environments.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 6th International Workshop on Discrete Geometry for Computer Imagery, DGCI'96, held in Lyon, France, in November 1996.
Computer imaging essentially depends on discrete models for coding, processing, recognition, representation, etc. The volume presents 24 revised full papers selected from 41 submissions together with 3 invited contributions and a tutorial paper, which bridges the gap between theory and practice. The issues addressed are topology, geometry, shape representation, 3D surfaces and volumes, models for discrete space, image transformation and generation.

This book constitutes the refereed postworkshop proceedings of the Fourth Canadian Workshop on Information Theory, held in Lac Delage, Quebec, in May 1995.
The book contains 18 revised full papers selected from 30 workshop presentations; also included are three invited contributions. The book is divided into sections on algebraic coding, cryptography and secure communications, decoding methods and techniques, coding and modulation for fading channels, and signal processing and pattern recognition.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Visualization in Biomedical Computing, VBC '96, held in Hamburg, Germany, in September 1996.
The 73 revised full papers presented were selected from a total of 232 submissions. The book reports the state of the art in the field of computer based visualization in medicine and biology. The papers are organized in sections on visualization; image processing; segmentation; registration; brain: description of shape; brain: characterization of pathology; brain: visualization of function; simulation of surgery and endoscopy; image guided surgery and endoscopy.

Crypto '96, the Sixteenth Annual Crypto Conference, is sponsored by the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR), in cooperation with the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Security and P- vacy and the Computer Science Department of the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). It takes place at UCSB from August 18 to 22, 1996. The General Chair, Richard Graveman, is responsible for local organization and registration. The scientific program was organized by the 16-member Program C- mittee. We considered 115 papers. (An additional 15 submissions had to be summarily rejected because of lateness or major noncompliance with the c- ditions in the Call for Papers.) Of these, 30 were accepted for presentation. In addition, there will be five invited talks by Ernest Brickell. Andrew Clark, Whitfield Diffie, Ronald Rivest, and Cliff Stoll. A Rump Session will be chaired by Stuart Haber. These proceedings contain the revised versions of the 30 contributed talks. least three com- The submitted version of each paper was examined by at mittee members and/or outside experts, and their comments were taken into account in the revisions. However, the authors (and not the committee) bear full responsibility for the content of their papers.

27 contributions treat the state of the art in Monte Carlo and Finite Element methods for radiosity and radiance. Further special topics dealt with are the use of image maps to capture light throughout space, complexity, volumetric stochastic descriptions, innovative approaches to sampling and approximation, and system architecture. The Rendering Workshop proceedings are an obligatory piece of literature for all scientists working in the rendering field, but they are also very valuable for the practitioner involved in the implementation of state of the art rendering system certainly influencing the scientific progress in this field.

This volume contains the proceedings of ICAOS '96 the 12th International Conference on Analysis and Optimization of Systems. This conference was co-organized by INRIA and the CEREMADE and was dedicated to Images, Wavelets and PDE's. The aim of the conference was to discuss the impact on image analysis of recent mathematical developments in multiscale analysis, partial differential equations, variational methods and so on. ICAOS '96 provided a forum for image processing researchers and mathematicians to interact and to exchange their technical knowledge and experience, theoretical or practical, in this emerging and exciting domain. The selected papers have been organized according to the following sessions, each session corresponding to a section of the book: 1. Active Contours; 2. Image Enhancement and Restoration, Scale-Spaces; 3. Wavelets; 4. Image Segmentation; 5. Image Restoration; 6. Coding; 7. Applications.

The European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV) has established itself as a major event in this exciting and very active field of research and development. These refereed two-volume proceedings include the 123 papers accepted for presentation at the 4th ECCV, held in Cambridge, UK, in April 1996; these papers were selected from a total of 328 submissions and together give a well-balanced reflection of the state of the art in computer vision.
The papers in volume II are grouped in sections on color vision and shading; image features; motion; medical applications; tracking; applications and recognition; calibration, focus, and optics; applications; and structure from motion.

The European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV) has established itself as a major event in this exciting and very active field of research and development. These refereed two-volume proceedings include the 123 papers accepted for presentation at the 4th ECCV, held in Cambridge, UK, in April 1996; these papers were selected from a total of 328 submissions and together give a well-balanced reflection of the state of the art in computer vision.
The papers in volume I are grouped in sections on structure from motion; recognition; geometry and stereo; texture and features; tracking; grouping and segmentation; stereo; and recognition, matching, and segmentation.

It is probably an overstatement to say that the discipline of telecommunication systems is becoming an application of digital signal processing (DSP). However, there is no doubt that by the mid-I980s integrated circuit technology has advanced to such an extent that revolutionary advances in telecommunications are fostered by the introduction of new and poweiful DSP algorithms. Actually, DSP has been recently playing a major role in the development of telecommuni cations systems: to name just one of the most widespread applications where this interaction has been most effective, we may mention the use of intelligent DSP to improve the peiformance of transmission systems by allowing sophisticated algorithm to be implemented in radio transmitters and receivers for personal communications. Other areas have equally benefited by the latest advances of DSP: speech coding and synthesis, speech recognition and enhancement, radar, sonar, digital audio, and remote sensing, just to cite afew. With this in mind, when choosing the topic for the 7th Tyrrhenian Workshop on Digital Communications, whose contributions are collected in this book, we aimed at focusing on the state of the art and the perspectives of the interaction between DSP and telecommunications, two disciplines that are becoming increasingly intertwined. Although by no means exhaustive of all the applications of DSP to telecommu nications, we believe that the material presented in this book pinpoints the most interesting among them, and hence it will be considered as a useful tool for investigating this complex and highly challenging field."

This book contains the invited reviewed session papers solicited for presentation as key papers at the Second Asian Conference on Computer Vision, ACCV '95, held in December 1995 in Singapore.
The fifteen leading researchers acting as session organizers at the ACCV '95 solicited and reviewed a unique collection of 56 invited papers presented in this volume. Together, these papers competently reflect the state-of-the-art developments in computer vision and image processing; the author index of the volume reads like a who-is-who in the field. The papers are devoted to both theoretical and practical issues relevant to researchers and professionals in the area.

This work provides an instructive into applications and problems from the broad field of pattern recognition. It describes basic topics and the required mathematical background of image and speech processing. Algorithms and data structures for filtering, feature extraction, segmentation and classification are discussed, introducing and demonstrating different C++ concepts. The practice of object-oriented programming is illustrated by a step-wise development of a complete class library for image processing.

This book presents the proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Image Analysis and Processing, ICIAP '95, held in Sanremo, Italy in September 1995 under the sponsorship of the International Association of Pattern Recognition IAPR.
The volume presents 108 papers selected from more than 180 submissions together with six invited contributions. The papers are written by a total of 265 contributing authors and give a comprehensive state-of-the-art report on all current issues of image analysis and processing. Theoretical aspects are addressed as well as systems design and advanced applications, particularly in medical imaging.

This book presents the proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Computer Analysis of Images and Patterns, CAIP '95, held in Prague, Czech Republic in September 1995.
The volume presents 61 full papers and 75 posters selected from a total of 262 submissions and thus gives a comprehensive view on the state-of-the-art in computer analysis of images and patterns, research, design, and advanced applications. The papers are organized in sections on invariants, segmentation and grouping, optical flow, model recovery and parameter estimation, low level vision, motion detection, structure and matching, active vision and shading, human face recognition, calibration, contour, and sessions on applications in diverse areas.

Visualization is nowadays indispensable to get insight into the huge amounts of data pro duced by large scale simulations or advanced measurement devices. The use of com puter graphics for scientific purposes has become a well established discipline, known as Scientific Visualization. Many problems still have to be solved, and hence the field is a very active area for research and development. This book represents results of the sixth in a well established series of international workshops on Visualization in Scien tific Computing organized by the EUROGRAPHICS Association in collaboration with CRS4 (Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia), held from May 3 to May 5,1995, in Chia, Italy. The thirteen contributions selected for this volume cover a wide range of topics, ranging from detailed algorithmic studies to searches for new metaphors. A rough di vision can be made into the parts interaction, irregular meshes, volume rendering, and applications. Interaction in three dimensions is a challenging area for research. The use of three dimensional user interfaces for more natural manipulation of three-dimensional data and their visualization is natural, but is far from trivial to realize. Pang et al. investigate the use of common objects such as spray cans and carving knives as metaphors for visualiza tion tools, in order to provide an intuitive and natural three dimensional user interface. Gibson uses a voxel-based data representation, not only for visualization, but also for physical modeling of objects. A prototype system under development for haptic explo ration is discussed."

Following five successful workshops in the previous five years, the Rendering Workshop is now well established as a major international forum and one of the most reputable events in the field of realistic image synthesis. Including the best 31 papers which were carefully evaluated out of 68 submissions the book gives an overview on hierarchical radiosity, Monte Carlo radiosity, wavelet radiosity, nondiffuse radiosity, and radiosity performance improvements. Some papers deal with ray tracing, reconstruction techniques, volume rendering, illumination, user interface aspects, and importance sampling. Also included are two invited papers by James Arvo and Alain Fournier. As is the style of the Rendering Workshop, the contributions are mainly of algorithmic nature, often demonstrated by prototype implementations. From these implementations result numerous color images which are included as appendix. The Rendering Workshop proceedings are certainly an obligatory piece of literature for all scientists working in the rendering field, but they are also very valuable for the practitioner involved in the implementation of state of the art rendering system certainly influencing the scientific progress in this field.