Salient Point and Scale Detection by Minimum Likelihood

We propose a novel approach for detection of salient image points and estimation of their intrinsic scales based on the fractional Brownian image model. Under this model images are realisations of a Gaussian random process on the plane. We define salient points as points that have a locally unique image structure. Such points are usually sparsely distributed in images and carry important information about the image content. Locality is defined in terms of the measurement scale of the filters used to describe the image structure. Here we use partial derivatives of the image function defined using linear scale space theory. We propose to detect salient points and their intrinsic scale by detecting points in scale-space that locally minimise the likelihood under the model.