ABSTRACT
Segmentation and classification are image processing operations that fall into the image analysis category. Segmentation is an image analysis technique. The term segmentation is usually used to describe the process of selecting a specific object or objects from an image. Classification is an image analysis technique in which every pixel or voxel in an image is assigned to a particular class. Manual segmentation involves an expert observer outlining the object of interest in the image. Thresholding on gray level is one of the simplest ways of introducing objectivity into the segmentation process. Segmentation methods that rely on the gray levels within the image will be adversely affected by gray level inhomogeneity and the partial volume effect. Computational segmentation methods are areas of active research, with new techniques being developed and made available all the time. Morphological image processing techniques are often used to refine the binary image that is the result of segmentation.
