Automation and Computational Intelligence for Road Maintenance and Management

3Advanced Images Processing Techniques

Introduction

The term “image processing” refers to the two‐dimensional image analysis by a digital computer, which in a more general sense refers to the concept of digital processing of any two‐dimensional data. Figure 3.1 shows a general process of image processing (at Amir Kabir University of Technology), specifically digital image processing related to the detection of asphalt pavement failure. The image is captured digitally using the relevant hardware and then stored as a matrix of binary digits and used to communicate and control all digitization, storage, processing, and display operations via a computer. Figure 3.2 presents the steps performed in a typical image processing sequence.

The application of image processing has expanded rapidly in recent years. Today, various image‐processing algorithms are used to handle many issues related to complex and precise sciences, such as medicine, remote sensing, space and microscopic operations, brain signal analysis, intelligent robots even on other planets, automation. Particularly, images obtained by imaging equipment are used to evaluate and monitor road surface to quantify the condition of road pavement as an important and effective indicator for civil engineers to make the best decisions for maintenance. Some applications based on the science of image processing include the following: identification and evaluation of damage to roads; determining the type, severity, and extent of failures; ...