Applications of digital image warping in surveillance and navigation

Variable scale displays which combine a highly detailed representation of r egions of interest with a less detailed representation of their context can be effective visualisation aids. This paper presents a concise review of t he principles of conformal digital image warpings that can be used to const ruct variable scale displays like global fisheye views or multifocal image representations (a 'looking glass' effect). It is argued that a backward wa rping transform is most suitable for this purpose. Pilot studies indicate t hat these variable scale displays may serve to optimize observer performanc e in surveillance and navigation tasks. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.