Maximum likelihood approach to image texture and acoustic signal classification

The authors describe a method of classifying natural textures based on the maximum likelihood parameter estimation technique. The novelty of the technique lies in the use of textural features that are derived from the subbands of a wavelet transformed image via the co-occurrence matrices. A maximum likelihood classifier is designed using a set of training texture samples. Ten different Brodotz (1965) textures have been classified using this procedure with an average classification accuracy of 99.7%. The main emphasis is to apply this technique to the classification of underwater acoustic signals. A time-frequency plot is obtained for each segment of the acoustic signal and then converted to an intensity pattern. The textural classification scheme is then applied to the intensity patterns of the acoustic signals. Eight different underwater acoustic signals have been classified by this procedure with an average accuracy of 99.99%