Digital image processing has experienced explosive growth over the past two decades. Public awareness has increased by way of video games, digital video special effects used in the entertainment industry, as well as articles in the mainstream press. However, the most significant impact of digital image processing in the 90s will be in the area of applications to real-world problems. To help readers keep pace, author Kenneth R. Castleman concentrates on those techniques that have proven most useful in practice. Part I presents several important concepts that can be developed without detailed mathematical analysis for a basic understanding. Part II addresses techniques that rely more on mathematics and elaborates analytically on certain concepts introduced in Part I. Part III covers specific application areas that are particularly important in industry, science, and medicine. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.