Future Trends in Image Processing Software and Hardware

The image processing applications in which JPL's Image processing Laboratory is active range from planetary exploration and earth applications to biomedical applications, astronomy, and scene analysis for the robotic vehicles of the future. There are several common trends that are apparent that are common to each of these applications areas, and these trends are discussed in this paper. The trends include requirements for improved adaptive search and interrogation of large image data bases, increasing utilization of graphics data in conjunction with imagery, improved techniques for display of multispectral imagery recorded in a large number of spectral channels, methods for merging data acquired by a variety of sensors, and development of custom Large Scale Integrated (LSI) chips for image processing applications to support intelligent remote user stations and future pipeline production processors.