Recursive region segmentation by analysis of histograms

Recursive segmentation of an image into regions using histograms is one of the most widely used techniques for image segmentation. At CMU, several versions of a region segmentation program have been developed based on this technique (Ohlander, Price, Shafer and Kanade). Based on these experiences, this paper discusses issues of recursive region segmentation in the context of PHOENIX, the newest version of region segmentation program, running on a VAX 11/780 under UNIX. The issues discussed in this paper include: Image features to be used in histogramming; comparison of the algorithm with other techniques; important improvements made in PHOENIX over its predecessor (Ohlander and Price); and some inherent problems in histogram-based segmentation together with suggestions for minimizing them. PHOENIX is being incorporated into the ARPA Image Understanding Testbed, under construction at SRI International.