IDF: A graphical data flow programming language for image processing and computer vision

Data-flow languages and visual programming environments are reviewed. The iconic data flow (IDF) system, a visual programming environment initially oriented toward the development of image processing and computer vision algorithms, is described. It is intended to exploit the intuitive nature of flow charts and the human capability for comprehending pictures, while providing a fully featured, easy to use programming language, including a full set of data types and control flow operators. Experimental performance results on the size of the programs that can be described and how fast they run are reported. Areas for future work are indicated