Accuracy assessment measures for object-based image segmentation goodness

Abstract

To select an image segmentation from sets of segmentation results, measures for ranking the segmentations relative to a set of reference objects are needed. We review selected vector-based measures designed to compare the results of object-based image segmentation with sets of training objects extracted from the image of interest. We describe and compare area-based and location-based measures that measure the shape similarity between segments and training objects. By implementing the measures in two object-based image processing software packages, we illustrate their use in terms of automatically identifying parsimonious parameter combinations from arbitrarily large sets of segmentation results. The results show that the measures have divergent performance in terms of the identification of parameter combinations. Clustering of the results in measure space narrows the search. We illustrate combination schemes for the measures for generating rankings of segmentation results. The ranked segmentation results are illustrated and described. © 2010 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.