Statistical Object Features

- Jin, Tao

Introduction
We have modified the image from the lowest level of pixel
data into higher-level representations, using image
segmentation and transforms.
Image segmentation allows us to look at object features.
Object features include the geometric properties of binary
objects, histogram features, and color features.

Geometric Object features

To extract object features, we need an image that has undergone image
segmentation and any necessary morphological filtering. This will
provide us with clearly defined objects, which can then be labeled and
processed independently.
Labeled image is used to extract the features of interest.
The binary object features include area, center of area, axis of least
second moment, perimeter, Euler number, projections, thinness ratio,
and aspect ratio.
Area, center of area, axis of least second moment, perimeter tell us
something about where the object is. The other four tell about the shape
of the objects.

Area
The area Ai is measured in pixels and indicates the relative
size of the object.
Ai = Ii(r,c) (0 <= r, c <= N-1)
Where:

Ii(r, c) =

1
0

if I(r,c) = ith object

otherwise

Center of area
We define the center of area for an object by the pair (ri, ci)
ri = ( rIi(r,c) )/Ai (0 <= r, c <= N-1)
ci = ( cIi(r,c) )/Ai (0 <= r, c <= N-1)
(sum of the r,c value of all the pixels divides the number of pixels)

Theses correspond to the row coordinate of the center of

area for the ith object ri, and the column coordinate of the
center of area for the ith object ci.
This feature will help to locate an object in the twodimensional image plan.

Axis of Least Second Moment

The axis of least second moment provides information about the the
objects orientation
This axis corresponds to the line about which it takes the least amount of
energy to spin an object of like shape.
If we move the origin to the center of area (r,c), the axis of least second
moment is defined as:
tan(2i) = 2 rcIi(r,c)/(r2Ii(r,c) - c2Ii(r,c))

Axis of Least Second Moment(2)

center
c

Axis of least second

moment

Perimeter
The perimeter of the object can help us to locate in in space
and provide information about the shape of the object.
The perimeter can be found in the original binary image by
counting the number of 1 pixels that have 0 pixels as
neighbors.
Or it can be found by applying an edge detector to the
object, followed by counting the 1 pixels. Finding the
area of the border.

Matlab - imfeature
Matlab image processing toolbox
provides the imfeature function
stats=imfeature(L,measurements)
L: labeled binary image
Measurement: name of the features
Output: struct array with fields.

80x1 struct array with fields:

Area
Centroid
BoundingBox
MajorAxisLength
MinorAxisLength
Eccentricity
Orientation
ConvexHull
ConvexImage
ConvexArea
Image
FilledImage
FilledArea
EulerNumber
Extrema
EquivDiameter
Solidity
Extent
PixelList

Experiment Get labeled binary image

I=imread('rice.tif');
figure('Name', 'Original image'), imshow(I)
I=im2double(I);
bkg=blkproc(I, [32,32], 'min(x(:))');
bkg=imresize(bkg, [256,256], 'biliniear');
I2 = I - bkg;
I2 = max(min(I2,1),0);
I3 = imadjust(I2, [0 max(I2(:))], [0 1]);
% apply thresholding to the image
bw = I3>0.2;
% label components
[L, numObj] = bwlabel(bw, 4);
map = hot(numObj+1); %create a colormap
figure('Name', 'labeled binary image'), imshow(L+1, map);

Experiment Extract object

features
% Compute feature measurements of objects in the image
FeatureData = imfeature(L, 'all');

FeatureData =
80x1 struct array with fields:
Area
Centroid
BoundingBox
MajorAxisLength
MinorAxisLength
Eccentricity
Orientation
ConvexHull
ConvexImage
ConvexArea
Image
FilledImage
FilledArea
EulerNumber
Extrema
EquivDiameter
Solidity
Extent
PixelList

Experiment - Area
Array = [FeatureData.Area];
Min = min(Array);
Max = max(Array);
Mean = mean(Array);
Std = std(Array);
figure('Name', 'histogram for area'), hist(Array, 20);
idx = find(Array < (Mean-Std));
L2 = ismember(L, idx);
L2 = I.*L2;
figure('Name', 'Objects below mean-std :area'), imshow(L2);
idx = find(Array > (Mean+Std));
L2 = ismember(L, idx);
L2 = I.*L2;
figure('Name', 'Objects above mean+std :area'), imshow(L2);
idx = find((Array < (Mean+Std)) & (Array > (Mean-Std)));
L2 = ismember(L, idx);
L2 = I.*L2;
figure('Name', 'Objects between mean-std and mean+std :area'),
imshow(L2);

Experiment Area(cont.)

Experiment - centroid
Array = [FeatureData.Centroid];
Array = reshape(Array, 2, numObj);
Min = [min(Array(1,:)); min(Array(2,:))];
Max = [max(Array(1,:)); max(Array(2,:))];
Mean = [mean(Array(1,:)); mean(Array(2,:))];
Std = [std(Array(1,:)); std(Array(2,:))];
figure('Name', 'histogram for Centroid.row'), hist(Array(1,:), 20);
figure('Name', 'histogram for Centroid.col'), hist(Array(2,:), 20);
[row, col] = find( (Array(1,:) < (Mean(1,1)-Std(1,1))) & (Array(2,:) < (Mean(2,1)Std(2,1))));
L2 = ismember(L, col);
L2 = I.*L2;
figure('Name', 'Objects below mean-std :Centroid'), imshow(L2);
[row, col] = find( (Array(1,:) > (Mean(1,1)+Std(1,1))) & (Array(2,:) >
(Mean(2,1)+Std(2,1))));
L2 = ismember(L, col);
L2 = I.*L2;
figure('Name', 'Objects above mean+std :Centroid'), imshow(L2);
[row, col] = find( (Array(1,:) > (Mean(1,1)-Std(1,1))) & (Array(2,:) > (Mean(2,1)-Std(2,1)))
& ...
(Array(1,:) < (Mean(1,1)+Std(1,1))) & (Array(2,:) < (Mean(2,1)+Std(2,1))));
L2 = ismember(L, col);
L2 = I.*L2;
figure('Name', 'Objects between mean-std and mean+std :Centroid'), imshow(L2);

Experiment centeroid(cont.)

Experiment Axis of least second moment

Array = [FeatureData.Orientation];
Min = min(Array);
Max = max(Array);
Mean = mean(Array);
Std = std(Array);
figure('Name', 'histogram for Orientation'), hist(Array, 20);
idx = find((Array < 0) & (Array > -90));
L2 = ismember(L, idx);
L2 = I.*L2;
figure('Name', 'Objects between -90 to 0 degree'), imshow(L2);
idx = find((Array > 0) & (Array < 90));
L2 = ismember(L, idx);
L2 = I.*L2;
figure('Name', 'Objects between 0 and 90 degree'), imshow(L2);
idx = find((Array < 180) & (Array > 90));
L2 = ismember(L, idx);
L2 = I.*L2;
figure('Name', 'Objects between 90 and 180 degree'), imshow(L2);

Experiment axis of least second moment(cont.)

Note: The orientation of imfeature is different with

the text book, and the value is in degree.