Image Science in Sequence: From Detection to Decision

The diversity of modern imaging systems continues to grow at a dizzying pace. Imaging systems utilize radiation from Gigahertz to Gamma rays to investigate objects that range from Galaxies to Golgi bodies. Whereas the application areas seeking imaging solutions are broad and varied, they are tied together by a common theoretical framework. One approach to appreciating this underlying framework is to examine the sequence of steps that begins with detection and culminates with decisions. The sequence begins when data are collected with the detection of some sort of radiation. We have devoted a session to Novel Acquisition that explores the future of detectors, including attribute-mode detectors. Acquired data are then processed, based on an overarching acquisition model that includes constituent models for the object, for the intervening media through which radiation propagates, and for the imaging system. Sessions entitled Use of Object Models and Priors, Imaging through Complex Media, and Dynamic Imaging address these constituent models. More complex models are required when multiple imaging systems are used in concert, as treated in Multi-Mode/Multi-Wave Imaging. A session entitled Imaging at the Physical Limits explores the use of models in extreme physical regimes. Processing strategies exploit the identified constituent models. In some instances, additional computations can be invoked to relax the requirements on the imaging-system hardware, as addressed in the Computational Imaging session. Ultimately, processing leads directly (through automation) or indirectly (through a human observer) to decisions designed to increase human utility such as improved patient treatment, increased security, greater understanding of environmental trends, and the discovery of life-compatible exoplanets. The session Decision Making in Image Science explores this vital step in the imaging process. The 2016 Gordon Research Conference on Image Science will provide a unique venue for scientists working in highly varied application areas to share insights regarding the sequential steps from detection to decision, common to all imaging systems.