Tensor-Cuts: A simultaneous multi-type feature extractor and classifier and its application to road extraction from satellite images

Many different algorithms have been proposed for the extraction of features with a range of applications. In this work, we present Tensor-Cuts: a novel framework for feature extraction and classification from images which results in the simultaneous extraction and classification of multiple feature types (surfaces, curves and joints). The proposed framework combines the strengths of tensor encoding, feature extraction using Gabor Jets, global optimization using Graph-Cuts, and is unsupervised and requires no thresholds. We present the application of the proposed framework in the context of road extraction from satellite images, since its characteristics makes it an ideal candidate for use in remote sensing applications where the input data varies widely. We have extensively tested the proposed framework and present the results of its application to road extraction from satellite images.