AUTOMATIC LINEAMENT EXTRACTION FROM DIGITAL IMAGES USING A SEGMENT TRACING AND ROTATION TRANSFORMATION APPROACH

A Segment Tracing And Rotation Transformation (START) approach is desc ribed for extracting lineaments (linear features) from digital images. The START algorithm is executed in two stages. First, a binary line e lement image is generated using the segment tracing algorithm. Second, the rotation transformation algorithm is used to extract lineaments f rom the line element image. The START algorithm was coded in FORTRAN 7 7 and implemented on a UNIX-based workstation. The START program is a comprehensive toolkit for lineament mapping that incorporates function s such as image display, graphics routines for on-screen mapping, and image hardcopy generation. The program was tested with LANDSAT MSS and TM images as well as with shaded relief images from digital elevation models (DEMs). The results obtained were successful for a test site i n southwestern Japan. The algorithm can be used for other data sets, s uch as shaded aeromagnetic images.