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Technology Description

Dr. James Tilton developed the Recursive Hierarchical Segmentation (HSEG) software system for use in earth remote sensing applications. This system provides a new approach to image analysis, which offers selectable levels of detail that increase accuracy for two-dimensional (and potentially three-dimensional) images.

Rather than working on the usual pixel-by-pixel basis, the RHSEG automatically organizes pixels into regions hierarchially, based on their spectral similarity. Looking at these regions as opposed to individual pixels allows the user to isolate specific features that are impossible to distinguish by other methods. Thus, the RHSEG provides a more reliable and accurate understanding of the image.

Originally designed for remote earth sensing, RHSEG is broadly applicable to a wide range of applications including monitoring agricultural crops, identifying buildings, roadways and traffic congestion; identifying population densities and areas with greatest expansion; improved medical image scan analysis.

Spin-out and Spin-in Successes

and		In 2002, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center issued a nonexclusive license to Bartron Medical Imaging, LLC, who quickly realized that RHSEG was the solution they needed to differentiate difficult-to-see details from a complex matrix background. Bartron has since developed a product for use in medical imaging (Med-Seg™) and has reported that the RHSEG has enabled them to successfully analyze and extract meaningful and significant features from grayscale data previously indistinguishable by the human eye. In July 2003, the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine purchased a Med-Seg device.  They have released preliminary studies indicating the potential for dramatic improvements in diagnosing osteoporosis. The RHSEG software is being used successfully in multiple NASA programs, including the NASA IMAGE mission and NASA’s Intelligent Systems program, as well as commercially and within academia.

Contact

Innovative Partnerships Program Office
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Phone: (301) 286-2642
E-mail: techtransfer@gsfc.nasa.gov

Bartron Medical Imaging
Phone: (866) 857-2278

+ Read more about the RHSEG NASA technology

(2003)