Avian Systems

Avian Systems was founded in 1993 to design, develop and market imaging software that enables users to construct pixel-by-pixel searches of images on their desktop computers. Dr. Richard Podolsky, a research scientist and software developer, designed FullPixelSearch Core (FPS Core), a library of image analysis routines. Previous software titles developed by Podolsky include, GAIA (geographic access, image and analyis. GAIA is a general tool for thematic mapping and analysis of satellite imgery.

Introduction

The adage, "a picture speaks a thousand words," pays tribute to the ability and efficiency with which an image conveys complex information. Unlike character- based text, which typically is black and white and consists of combinations of just 26 characters, digital images can contain millions of picture elements or "pixels". Just as a talented writer manipulates words to create images which transcend their plain meaning so that one reads "between the lines", the "story" which an image conveys to the human eye is a visual representation of its own rich text.

Each pixel has its own location or address, in the rows and columns of the image, and its own color, typically composed of a component of red, green and blue. When digitally analyzed, pixels can reveal statistically significant patterns, relationships, correlations or anomalies. This valuable information then can be exploited for myriad research and commercial purposes.

Scientists use pixels to deconstruct digital images in the same way that French Impressionist painters used "pointillism" to create them. A museum goer who studies the French Impressionist, George Seurat's painting, "Sunday on the Island of La Grand Jatte", from a distance of several feet sees only ladies with parasols surrounded by trees and lawns, enjoying a leisurely day in a park. From the vantage point of several inches, however, the viewer will discover that the image is constructed of millions of brilliantly displayed dots of paint. Like paintings however, scientific images historically have been analyzed visually by human eyes in the same way that a radiologist "reads" an X-ray.

FPS' main functions include: histogram analysis, scientific visualization, pattern recognition, feature detection and palette analysis and animation. With FullPixelSearch, users can assemble a search template by copying and pasting region of interest or by drawing pixel by pixel. FullPixelSearch then scans the image and marks the location of all regions that match the user-defined search criteria.