Patent ID: 8885926

Claim:
A system for analysis of images comprising: a computer-implemented segmentation apparatus configured to accept image data including pixels representing an image of one or more objects and apply a segmentation procedure to the image data, wherein the segmentation apparatus includes an input for accepting segmentation parameters for controlling operation of the segmentation apparatus according to the segmentation procedure; a computer-implemented parameter selection system configured to accept training image data including pixels of a plurality of training images and corresponding training segmentation data for the training images and produce the segmentation parameters, the training segmentation data for one of the training images characterizing at least one of spatial locations of a plurality of objects in the training image and connectivity through a single object of pairs of pixel locations in the training image; wherein the parameter selection system is configured to select the segmentation parameters according to a parameter selection procedure that includes selecting the segmentation parameters according to a criterion based on at least one of (a) path connectivity between pairs of pixel locations including path connectivity between non-adjacent pixel locations and (b) a topology of the objects in the training image; and wherein the parameter selection procedure includes a phase for updating segmentation parameters and a phase for comparing the training segmentation data with output from applying the segmentation procedure.