Here, local search is adapted to solve difficult geometric matching problems. Image data is assumed to be fragmented, noisy, and cluttered. The algorithms presented have been used for robot navigation, photo interpretation, and scene understanding. This paper explores how local search performs as model complexity increases, image clutter increases, and additional model instances are added to the image data. Expected run-times to find optimal matches with 95 percent confidence are determined for 48 distinct problems involving six models.
Nonlinear regression is used to estimate run-time growth as a function of problem size.
Both polynomial and exponential growth models are fit to the run-time data. For problems with random clutter, the polynomial model fits better and growth is comparable to that for tree search. For problems involving symmetric models and multiple model instances, where tree search is exponential, the polynomial growth model is superior to the exponential growth model for one search algorithm and comparable for another. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence , Vol. Inc. All rights reserved.