eCognition tutorial: Almost connected components for clumps identification in eCognition

This post is inspired from a post by Steve Eddins, who works in Math works, a company that build MATLAB. He is a software development manager in the MATLAB and one of the co-author of a book " Digitial image processing with MATLAB".I use both MATLAB and eCognition, so I ponder if this can be done in eCognition. eCognition has basic Morphological Operators like dilation and erosion . Advance MM operators like by opening by reconstruction, connected component labeling or skeleton and many others are not available in eCognition.

The problem of almost connected components:

There is simple synthetic image containing a number of circular blobs.  How can we label and measure the three clumps instead of the smaller circles? Two circles are almost connected if circles are within 25 pixels unit.

Binary circles

Connected components labeling

Almost connected components labeling

Of course it can be solved in eCognition. But for this, you have to  be familiar with many concepts in eCognition. Concepts such as PPO, object variables, multi-level representation and temporary layers are required. My workflow for  the solution is as follows:

• Use multi-threshold segmentation to get circles
• Use distance map algorithm to get binary distance map
• Use chessboard segmentation to get pixel level unclassified objects
• Use  multi-thresholding segmentation based on the distance map to get  clump
• Copy level above
• Use object variable concept to assign each clump a unique ID
• Convert to sub-objects to get original circle at upper level

I will post rule-set after some time. I have given you enough hint how to proceed. Get your hands dirty !

Almost connected components labelling within eCognition

The concept of “almost connected components” can be applicable in remote sensing for clustering buildings detected in remote sensing images for analyzing of micro-climate of urban areas. There can be various other applications. Can you think of any ?