The Hermite transform-applications

It is demonstrated how the Hermite transform can be used for image coding and analysis. Hierarchical coding structures based on increasingly specified basic patterns, i.e. general 2-D patterns, general 1-D patterns, and specific 1-D patterns such as edges and corners, are presented. In the image coding application, the relation with existing pyramid coders is described. A new coding scheme, based on local one-dimensional image approximations, is introduced. In the image analysis application, the relation between the Hermite transform and existing line/edge detection schemes is described. It is shown that, by concentrating on more specific patterns, the coding efficiency can be increased since fewer coefficients have to be coded. Meanwhile, sufficient descriptive power can be maintained for approximating the most interesting features in natural images