Preface
The International Workshop on Fundamental Structural Properties
in Image and Pattern Analysis, FSPIPA'99, was held in Budapest, Hungary,
on September 6-7, 1999, in conjunction with the 8th International Conference
on Computer Analysis of Images and Patterns (Ljubljana, Slovenia). FSPIPA'99
was organised by the Computer and Automation Research Institute of the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA SZTAKI).
This workshop was a forum for discussing the interrelations
between image structures and the real world that digital images describe.
Fundamental structural properties (FSPs) of the physical world, such as
symmetry, scale-space and self-similarity, underlie the basic principles
of natural sciences, including the key laws of physics and biology. They
are intrinsic to the natural and artificial processes that form shapes
and patterns. The appearance of objects and events, the way we perceive
and describe them, are strongly influenced by the underlying FSPs whose
perceptual value has been demonstrated in numerous studies. Fundamental
structural properties therefore provide a solid basis for generalization
and unification of mathematically diverse methods of computer vision. The
aim of FSPIPA'99 was to explore these prospects.
After careful selection, 14 regular papers were accepted
for presentation at the workshop. These regular contributions, as well
as two invited papers are published in these proceedings. The studies are
devoted to various theoretical and practical aspects of symmetry, anisotropy,
regularity, self-similarity, scale space, closure and other fundamental
structural features of the visual world.
We are grateful to the invited speakers - Hagit Hel-Or,
Tony Lindeberg, and Dietrmar Saupe - and to all other participants for
making this short workshop a valuable scientific event. Our special thanks
go to all authors, coming from 13 countries, and to the members of the
Program Committee for the timely submission of the contributions and the
reviews.
FSPIPA'99 was sponsored by the International Association
for Pattern Recognition (IAPR), the Nationad Committee for Technological
Devedopment (OMFB), the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the Hungarian
Association for Image Analysis and Pattern Recognition. Their support is
acknowledged with gratitude.
We hope that FSPIPA'99 has contributed to better understanding
of the mechanisms of vision in man and machine.
Dmitry Chetverikov and Tamás Szirányi
Workshop Co-organisers
Budapest, July 1999
