The Development and Application of an Image Processing and Analyzing System

Abstract

This paper summarizes the development of an image analyzing and processing system which is designed to determinegparticle size and particle size distribution of materials that have been transported atmospherically and hydrologically. The system, consisting of a redesigned microscope, a standard television camera, a camera/computer interface which we call the NOVAS, and a TRS-8O computer, was constructed. The NOVAS, an acronym for conversion Of Video Analog Signals, was constructed as a peripheral device which converts the analog signal of the television camera to a digital signal and transfers the data through software control to the TRS-8O. Machine language programs were written to control the digitization and transfer of data. A BASIC language program, SCAN, was written to automatically determine the particle sizes and particle size distribution within a given video frame. The results of consecutive frame analysis are accumulated and the distribution is plotted as a bar graph. Representative particle diameters, limited by microscope resolution are on the order of 10 microns or greater in magnitude. ii