Image processing in the context of imaging science

The rate of discovery in the natural sciences has been accelerated by powerful computer-based imaging methods, which enable scientists to map certain object properties into an `image space´. These methods also support the goals of medicine, education, art, commerce, and the media. Every digital imaging method involves a sequence of interdependent steps: namely, image-data acquisition, reconstruction and processing, recording and distribution, display/visualization, observation and analysis, and a criterion for image evaluation. When viewed within the context of imaging science, `optimal´ image processing must take account of how the image-data are acquired and the intervening steps leading to how the images are to be evaluated, based on a well-defined goal and criterion