Automatic counting of fission tracks using object-based image analysis for dating applications

Geochronological dating with the fission-track method is based on time-consuming counts of the spontaneous and induced tracks. Automatic extraction and identification of tracks would not only improve the speed of track counting but also eliminate variation due to the observer. Pixel values alone are not enough to distinguish between tracks and background. Traditional pixel-based approaches are therefore inefficient for fission track counting. Image analysis based on objects, which include shape, texture and context information is a more promising method.