Some major topics in pattern recognition are covered in this well-written book. Statistical techniques for classifying objects into categories and neural networks are included. Sufficient material on image analysis is also included, so a person with no image processing background can understand the role of image analysis in pattern recognition.
Chapter 1 is introductory, explaining some basic pattern recognition and image processing terminology. Key techniques of statistical pattern recognition are given in chapters 2 through 5. Chapter 2 summarizes the necessary material on probability. Chapter 3 details parametric decision making. Nonparametric decision making, including nearest-neighbor classification techniques, discriminant functions, and density estimation, is covered in chapter 4. Hierarchical and partitional clustering is the subject of chapter 5.
Chapter 6 introduces basic neural network models (backpropagation algorithms and Hopfield nets). An application that classifies humans by gender from pictures of their faces is described.
Chapters 7 and 8 are devoted to image analysis and its relationship to pattern recognition. Smoothing and sharpening; edge, region, and shape detection; morphological operators; color; and texture are introduced. Several applications are discussed in detail.
Of particular note is an appendix that shows how to use the SAS (Statistical Analysis System) software package for pattern recognition. A disk contains sample digital images, sample data files, a sample project with input files, SAS programs, and C implementations of several of the algorithms presented in the book.
The book is self-contained and does not require computer programming as a prerequisite, although familiarity with elementary calculus is necessary. More than 100 worked examples and more than 300 problems make this an excellent textbook for undergraduate courses in pattern recognition and image processing. These examples and exercises, and the intuitive and self-contained presentation, make it one of the best introductions to the field.
