ABSTRACT
In the mid-1980s fractal techniques were introduced in computer graphics for modeling natural phenomena [75]. One of the new ideas came from a mathematical theory called iterated function
systems (IFS) [3]. This theory had previously been developed in 1981 by John Hutchinson, however, without any practical applications in mind [49]. It was Michael Barnsley and his research group from the Georgia Institute of Technology who first realized the potential of iterated function systems for modeling, e.g., clouds, trees, and leaves. While other modeling techniques in computer graphics such as procedural modeling and L systems were dominating the IFS approach, one of the visions of Barnsley — namely that of encoding real-world images using IFS — turned into an innovative technique in the image compression field.
