Topic models [e.g., probabilistic latent semantic analysis, latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), and supervised LDA] have been widely used for segmenting imagery. However, these models are confined to crisp segmentation, forcing a visual word (i.e., an image patch) to belong to one and only one topic. Yet, there are many images in which some regions cannot be assigned a crisp categorical label (e.g., transition regions between a foggy sky and the ground or between sand and water at a beach). In these cases, a visual word is best represented with partial memberships across multiple topics. To address this, we present a partial membership LDA (PM-LDA) model and an associated parameter estimation algorithm. This model can be useful for imagery, where a visual word may be a mixture of multiple topics. Experimental results on visual and sonar imagery show that PM-LDA can produce both crisp and soft semantic image segmentations; a capability previous topic modeling methods do not have.

Topic models (e.g., pLSA, LDA, sLDA) have been widely used for segmenting imagery. However, these models are confined to crisp segmentation, forcing a visual word (i.e., an image patch) to belong to one and only one topic. Yet, there are many images in which some regions cannot be assigned a crisp categorical label (e.g., transition regions between a foggy sky and the ground or between sand and water at a beach). In these cases, a visual word is best represented with partial memberships across multiple topics.To address this, we present a partial membership latent Dirichlet allocation (PM-LDA) model and an associated parameter estimation algorithm. This model can be useful for imagery where a visual word may be a mixture of multiple topics. Experimental results on visual and sonar imagery show that PM-LDA can produce both crisp and soft semantic image segmentations; a capability previous topic modeling methods do not have.

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This paper proposes a possibilistic context identification approach for synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) imagery. SAS seabed imagery can display a variety of textures that can be used to identify seabed types such as sea grass, sand ripple and hard-packed sand, etc. Target objects in SAS imagery often have varying characteristics and features due to changing environmental context. Therefore, methods that can identify the seabed environment can be used to assist in target classification and detection in an environmentally adaptive or context-dependent approach. In this paper, a possibilistic context identification approach is used to identify the seabed contexts. Alternative methods, such as crisp, fuzzy or probabilistic methods, would force one type of context on every sample in the imagery, ignoring the possibility that the test imagery may include an environmental context that has not yet appeared in the training process. The proposed possibilistic approach has an advantage in that it can both identify known contexts as well as identify when an unknown context has been encountered. Experiments are conducted on a collection of SAS imagery that display a variety of environmental features.

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