ITA research project

Sponsored by

ITA project 950244

Short description

This project aims at interactive video communication and image database consulting based on the use of wavelets. It is a joint project of two industrial partners, Barco and Eurosense, and one academic partner, the Department of Computer Science of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, in the perspective of the Vlaams actieprogramma `Informatietechnologie' program.

The project deals with image handling, processing and compression technology based on wavelets, and tries to formulate answers for a number of general questions in the field of digital imagery. Software is developed for two application areas, i.e. Geographical Information Systems and video, which are the main interest domains of the industrial partners. These two application domains have many identical needs, which can be resolved by wavelet encoding and compression.

Our research group develops numerical techniques and implements a common software library. The industrial partners integrate this library into their projects and optimize them for use in real life applications. Eurosense develops software to do image processing on wavelet compressed images, such as edge detection, edge enhancement or noise removal, and implements software to consult image databases of wavelet compressed images. These image databases will be accessible through public networks like Internet or Telenet Vlaanderen. Barco develops the software and hardware to transmit wavelet compressed video over public and private networks and telephone lines. First, frame by frame encoding is implemented. Temporal encoding will be added afterwards.

This research is done in close collaboration with the research group Scientific Computing.

Researchers

• A. Bultheel
• D. Roose
• G. Uytterhoeven

In collaboration with

• F. Van Wulpen
• Barco
• Eurosense

Software produced

• WAILI

Logo of the WAILI software package