Just as image processing and image data bases have moved out of the lab and into the office environment, so has the need for image enhancement. Image scanners must to be able to capture and store a wide variety of information including faded documents, carbon copies, signatures, postmarks, etc. OCR systems put further demands on scanned image quality in terms of low noise, and unbroken disconnected characters. Straight thresholding techniques do not always meet the performance requirements, but by applying simple image processing techniques some of these problems can be solved. However, more burden is placed on the users to control the image enhancement techniques. The users, most of whom have little technical background, want no part in adjusting parameters. This paper proposes a method of examining small windows of the image to derive parameter settings autonomously. Histograms allow rudimentary measures to be used in setting parameters for edge detection, non-linear filters, and point operators such as non-linear gray scale mapping. Some examples of automatic parameter setting are given in chapter three. / Master of Science

Simulation modeling and visualization can substantially help in designing complex construction operations and in making optimal decisions where traditional methods prove ineffective or are unfeasible. However, there has been limited use of simulation in planning construction operations due to the unavailability of appropriate visual communication tools that can provide users with a more realistic and comprehensible feedback from simulation analyses. Visualizing simulated construction operations in 3D can significantly help in establishing the credibility of simulation models. In addition, 3D visualization can provide valuable insight into the subtleties of construction operations that are otherwise non-quantifiable and presentable. New software development technologies emerge at incredible rates that allow engineers and scientists to create novel, domain-specific applications. This study capitalized on a computer graphics technology based on the concept of the "Scene Graph" to design and implement a general-purpose 3D Visualization System that is Simulation and CAD-software independent. This system, the "Dynamic Construction Visualizer", enables realistic visualization of modeled construction operations and the resulting products in 3D and can be used in conjunction with a wide variety of simulation tools. This thesis describes the "Dynamic Construction Visualizer" as well as the "Scene Graph" architecture and the Frame Updating algorithms used in its design. / Master of Science

In 1975, C.S. Bauer completed a doctoral dissertation at the University of Florida which treated the Green Band Merging Control System on I-75 in Tampa, Florida. In this work, Bauer suggested the possibility for the use of computer graphics as a toll for analysis of the bands generated by the Green Band Control System Simulation developed in his dissertation. The use of computer generated movies of the bands displayed to ramp drivers by the system allows the comparison of various band control strategies without the need for field implementation and testing. With the goal of producing such films in mind, the research topic discussed in this paper was undertaken. The report introduces the reader to some of the basic aspects of computer graphics and presents specialized computer software and interface hardware for producing automated computer graphics movies from a Tektronix 4010 storage display. A brief discussion of the Tampa System and its associated simulation program is presented, and representative frames from the moves of the Tampa System produced in the research are discussed. Suggestions for additional work that could be undertaken in the research area conclude the report.

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Cattle diseases caused by the protozoan parasite <i>Theileria parva</i> and transmitted by the brown ear tick <i>Rhipicephalus appendiculatus</i> are among the most costly diseases in eastern, central and southern Africa. The control of these diseases in areas where they occur, and the prevention of their spread to areas suitable for the survival and development of the vector, should be based on a strong understanding of their epidemiology. Therefore, methods to assist in transforming epidemiological information into a format that will assist animal health planners are needed. Computerized geographic information systems (GIS) may offer such valuable methodology. The purposes of this study were to define, characterize and display on a geographic basis, factors governing the epidemiology of cattle diseases caused by I parva. Factors studied included the distributions of the vector ticks (R appendiculatus and related species), major hosts (cattle and addition, continental representation of climatic parameters and satellite derived vegetation data were included. The c1imatedatabaseswereproducedusingmathematicalinterpolations of data from meteorological stations and further improved by the incorporation of an altitude data set. Interpolated climate databases were then used to run a climate matching model (CLIMEX)l to define areas of climatic suitability for tick distribution and abundance. A computerized geographic information system was used to store, manipulate, analyze buffalo) and display the data. / Ph. D.

Three fundamental problems in computer vision are addressed in this dissertation. The first deals with the problem of how to extract and assemble a rich symbolic representation of the gray level intensity changes in an image. Results show that the facet model based feature extraction scheme proposed here is superior to the other existing techniques. The second problem addressed deals with the interpretation of the resulting structures as three-dimensional object surfaces. The three different shape modules described in this dissertation are found to be useful in the recovery of intrinsic scene characteristics. Finally, mechanisms for interaction among different sources of information obtained from different shape modules are studied. It is demonstrated that interactions among shape modules can enhance the data acquired by different means. / Ph. D.