Abstract:
System and method for encoding standard-formatted images with information including, but not limited to, geospatial information. This information, possibly in mark-up language format, can be quickly accessed and this enables the standard-formatted images to be shown in geospatial information systems as map images, while preserving their compatibility with other systems like web browsers and mobile phones.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None 
     BACKGROUND 
     Systems and methods disclosed herein relate generally to augmenting existing standard-formatted images. Standard image formats such as PNG, JPEG, and others are widely used, but there is no standard way, or sometimes no way, to attach information to those kinds of files, and therefore no standard way to process any attached information, if any. These formats have some ability to store image metadata, but existing methods for storing metadata suffer several problems. First, they are format-specific, for example, a method for attaching metadata to a JPEG file is different from a method for attaching metadata to a PNG file. Second, existing methods do not specifically allow for addition of geospatial metadata. Third, existing methods embed metadata within the structure of the image in varying positions based on image format. For example, the GeoTIFF format adds rich geospatial tags to standard TIFF images. However, TIFF images are not as widely used as JPEGs and PNGs. Also, GeoTIFF tags do not support the full expressiveness offered by an extensible mark-up language, for example, but not limited to, XML. 
     What is needed is a system in which images could be encoded within images, images could be signed digitally, change history could be encoded, and image labels and other annotations could be encoded along with the image. These capabilities exist for PDF documents, but not for other formats and not in a way that can be processed in a standard way. 
     SUMMARY 
     The system and method of the present embodiment address the needs of encoding standard-formatted images with information, for example, but not limited to, geospatial information. The system and method of the present embodiment allow geospatial information, such as map coordinates, scale, projection, datum, and others to be attached to standard-formatted images such as, for example, but not limited to, PNG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, JPEG, and many other image types. This enables the standard-formatted images to be shown in geospatial information systems as map images, while preserving their compatibility with other systems like web browsers and mobile phones. 
     The system and method of the present embodiment provide for attaching information to any image, regardless of format, in a way that can be processed with the same computer code by any reader, regardless of the format of the standard-formatted image. The structure of the new format allows the standard-formatted image to be readable in the current way as well as by technology that could make use of the attached information. Adding data to the end of a standard-formatted image file preserves compatibility with all known image readers. Finalizing the additional data with a special tag allows computer code to quickly determine if the additional data are present. Including the size of the attached information, perhaps formatted in XML format, allows computer code to quickly retrieve the attached information. The XML format itself provides a rich, extensible set of capabilities for example, but not limited to, embedding thumbnail or alternative images of the standard-format image, encoding digital signature information, providing document change history, and providing labels and annotations for the standard-format image. The user can also define data specific to the particular standard-format image. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of the data structure of the image of the present embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of the system of the present teachings; and 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart of the method of one embodiment of the present teachings. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The problems set forth above as well as further and other problems are solved by the present teachings. These solutions and other advantages are achieved by the various embodiments of the teachings described herein below. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , the system and method of the present embodiment add a mark-up language document to the end of any standard image format by using modified format  20 . The system and method of the present embodiment create, for example, but not limited to, an XML schema document that outlines the proper, but extensible, structure of the XML documents that can be appended to image files. Standard image format  11  is image data in a standard format such as, for example, but not limited to, PNG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, JPEG, and any other image format. Standard image format  11  is exactly as any standard image would be, the internals are unchanged. Following standard image format  11  is mark-up language document  13  encoded as bytes, followed by document size  15  in bytes. Mark-up language document  13  can include, for example, but not limited to, print-related information, such as, for example, but not limited to, the trimming bounds for a printed image, and the Dots Per Inch (DPI) of the printed image. Mark-up language document  13  can also include information about the collection of the image, for example, but not limited to, the camera model, the satellite model, and the time and date of image capture. Still further, mark-up language document  13  can include the classification markings for the image. Attaching document size  15  to the image file allows quick retrieval of the size of mark-up language document  13 . Magic number  17 , eight bytes long and can be any number, follows document size  15 . It is a tag indicating that a record has been added. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , system  100  for encoding standard-formatted images  113  with associated information  112  can include, but is not limited to including, image accessor  101  automatically accessing standard-formatted image  113  from, for example, but not limited to, image database  131  through, for example, but not limited to, electronic communications  133 . System  100  can also include information receiver  102  automatically receiving information  112  associated with standard-formatted image  113  from, for example, but not limited to, user input or information database  135  through, for example, but not limited to, electronic communications  133 . System  100  can still further include formatter  103  automatically formatting information  112  into formatted information  115  which is formatted according to a mark-up language, and sizer  107  automatically computing size  116  of formatted information  115 . System  100  can also include image modifier  105  automatically creating encoded standard-formatted image  125  by concatenating formatted information  115 , size  116 , and a tag onto standard-formatted image  113 . Image modifier  105  can optionally provide encoded image  125  to, for example, but not limited to, image display  139  or stored images  137  through, for example, but not limited to, electronic communications  133 . Information  112  can optionally include geospatial information, a digital signature, or document change history. The mark-up language can optionally be XML. The standard-formatted image can optionally be, for example, but not limited to, a JPEG image, a PNG image, a TIFF image, a BMP image, a GIF image, or any other image type. The tag can optionally include eight bytes. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , method  150  for encoding standard-formatted images with associated information can include, but is not limited to including, the steps of automatically accessing  151  a standard-formatted image, automatically receiving  153  information associated with the standard-formatted image, automatically formatting  155  the information into a mark-up language, automatically computing  157  the size of the formatted information, and automatically creating  159  the encoded standard-formatted image by concatenating the formatted information, the size, and a tag onto the standard-formatted image. The information can optionally include geospatial information, at least one digital signature, and document change history. The mark-up language can be, for example, but not limited to, XML. The standard-formatted image can be, for example, but not limited to, a JPEG image, a PNG image, a TIFF image, a BMP image, a GIF image, or any other image type. The tag can optionally include, for example, eight bytes. 
     Embodiments of the present teachings are directed to computer systems for accomplishing the methods discussed in the description herein, and to computer readable media containing programs for accomplishing these methods. The raw data and results can be stored for future retrieval and processing, printed, displayed, transferred to another computer, and/or transferred elsewhere. Communications links can be wired or wireless, for example, using cellular communication systems, military communications systems, and satellite communications systems. In an exemplary embodiment, the software for the system is written in FORTRAN and C. The system operates on a computer having a variable number of CPUs. Other alternative computer platforms can be used. The operating system can be, for example, but is not limited to, WINDOWS® or LINUX®. 
     The present embodiment is also directed to software for accomplishing the methods discussed herein, and computer readable media storing software for accomplishing these methods. The various modules described herein can be accomplished on the same CPU, or can be accomplished on a different computer. In compliance with the statute, the present embodiment has been described in language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features. It is to be understood, however, that the present embodiment is not limited to the specific features shown and described, since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the present embodiment into effect. 
     Referring again primarily to  FIG. 3 , method  150  can be, in whole or in part, implemented electronically. Signals representing actions taken by elements of system  100  ( FIG. 2 ) and other disclosed embodiments can travel over at least one live communications network and/or through electronic communications  133  ( FIG. 2 ). Control and data information can be electronically executed and stored on at least one computer-readable medium. The system can be implemented to execute on at least one computer node  114  ( FIG. 2 ) in at least one live communications network and/or through electronic communications  133  ( FIG. 2 ). Common forms of at least one computer-readable medium can include, for example, but not be limited to, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a compact disk read only memory or any other optical medium, punched cards, paper tape, or any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a random access memory, a programmable read only memory, and erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), a Flash EPROM, or any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read. Further, the at least one computer readable medium can contain images in any form including, but not limited to, Graphic Interchange Format (GIF), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), Portable Network Graphics (PNG), Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), and Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). 
     The invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments. It will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the embodiments discussed above, and that modification and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.