Image Science

Image Science

Almost thirty years ago, W. J. T. Mitchell’s Iconology helped launch the interdisciplinary study of visual media, now a central feature of the humanities. Along with his subsequent Picture Theory and What Do Pictures Want?, Mitchell’s now-classic work introduced such ideas as the pictorial turn, the image/picture distinction, the metapicture, and the biopicture. These key concepts imply an approach to images as true objects of investigation—an “image science.” Continuing with this influential line of thought, Image Science gathers Mitchell’s most recent essays on media aesthetics, visual culture, and artistic symbolism. The chapters delve into such topics as the physics and biology of images, digital photography and realism, architecture and new media, and the occupation of space in contemporary popular uprisings. The book looks both backward at the emergence of iconology as a field and forward toward what might be possible if image science can indeed approach pictures the same way that empirical sciences approach natural phenomena. Essential for those involved with any aspect of visual media, Image Science is a brilliant call for a method of studying images that overcomes the “two-culture split” between the natural and human sciences.

Image Science

Foundations of Image Science

Winner of the 2006 Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award! A comprehensive treatment of the principles, mathematics, and statistics of image science In today's visually oriented society, images play an important role in conveying messages. From seismic imaging to satellite images to medical images, our modern society would be lost without images to enhance our understanding of our health, our culture, and our world. Foundations of Image Science presents a comprehensive treatment of the principles, mathematics, and statistics needed to understand and evaluate imaging systems. The book is the first to provide a thorough treatment of the continuous-to-discrete, or CD, model of digital imaging. Foundations of Image Science emphasizes the need for meaningful, objective assessment of image quality and presents the necessary tools for this purpose. Approaching the subject within a well-defined theoretical and physical context, this landmark text presents the mathematical underpinnings of image science at a level that is accessible to graduate students and practitioners working with imaging systems, as well as well-motivated undergraduate students. Destined to become a standard text in the field, Foundations of Image Science covers: Mathematical Foundations: Examines the essential mathematical foundations of image science Image Formation–Models and Mechanisms: Presents a comprehensive and unified treatment of the mathematical and statistical principles of imaging, with an emphasis on digital imaging systems and the use of SVD methods Image Quality: Provides a systematic exposition of the methodology for objective or task-based assessment of image quality Applications: Presents detailed case studies of specific direct and indirect imaging systems and provides examples of how to apply the various mathematical tools covered in the book Appendices: Covers the prerequisite material necessary for understanding the material in the main text, including matrix algebra, complex variables, and the basics of probability theory