HCM networks on the development of image processing
Research on image processing is one of today's fastest developing disciplines, as the constant growth in computing power facilitates the implementation of new image processing applications. The EU's Human Capital and Mobility (HCM) programme, the forerunner to today's TMR programme supported around 700 thematic networks during the 1990s, and a recently-published book outlines the work of a cluster of seven of these which focused on image processing research. The development of image processing reflects the increasing hold of the visual over the verbal in society. Initial applications were concerned with storing and encoding images. As processing power increased, new applications such as medical image processing and satellite image interpretation have developed. The latest applications are in the field of computer vision, for example developing robots which can replace humans on factory production lines, automatic navigation and control systems, and now systems to improve man-machine interaction. The new book gives an overall view of recent developments in image processing, before looking at the work of the seven HCM-funded networks which have addressed the field. Each network is examined individually, while the overall cluster is also discussed as a whole.