Histogram clustering for unsupervised segmentation and image retrieval

This paper introduces a novel statistical latent class model for probabilistic grouping of distributional and histogram data. Adopting the Bayesian framework, we propose to perform annealed maximum a posteriori estimation to compute optimal clustering solutions. In order to accelerate the optimization process, an efficient multiscale formulation is developed. We present a prototypical application of this method for unsupervised segmentation of textured images based on local distributions of Gabor coefficients. Benchmark results indicate superior performance compared to K-means clustering and proximity-based algorithms. In a second application the histogram clustering method is utilized to structure image databases for improved image retrieval. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.