Conference report by Shih-Yuan Lin, School of Civil Engineering & Geosciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

The 17th Annual Symposium on Electronic Imaging, co-sponsored by the Society for Imaging Science and Technology (IS&T) and SPIE, was held in San Jose, California, from 16 to 20 of January 2005. Although the symposium primarily focussed on electronic imaging, a wide range of topics were covered and in total, 23 individual conferences ran simultaneously during the week, including:

• Stereoscopic Displays and Applications XVI
• The Engineering Reality of Virtual Reality 2005
• Videometrics VIII
• Human Vision and Electronic Imaging X
• Colour Imaging X: Processing, Hardcopy, and Applications
• Image Quality and System Performance II
• Visualization and Data Analysis 2005
• Internet Imaging VI
• Applications of Neural Networks and Machine Learning in Image Processing IX
• Image Processing: Algorithms and Systems IV
• Real-time Image Processing
• Computational Imaging III
• Vision Geometry XIII
• Document Recognition and Retrieval XII
• Machine Vision Applications in Industrial Inspection XIII
• Digital Photography
• Sensors and Camera Systems for Scientific and Industrial Applications VI
• Multimedia Computing and Networking 2005
• Security, Steganography, and Watermarking of Multimedia Contents VII
• Storage and Retrieval Methods and Applications for Multimedia 2005
• Embedded Processors for Multimedia and Communications II
• Multimedia on Mobile Devices
• Image and Video Communications and Processing 2005

Due to personal research interests, I attended most of the papers in the "Videometrics VIII" conference. Many advancements and applications relating to "3D Measurement, Sensing, and Modelling Systems", "Visualization", "Calibration and Performance Evaluations", "3D Data Processing and Integration", "Tracking and Dynamic Modelling", "Human Body Modelling" and "Scene Reconstruction" were presented by experts from all over the world. By listening to these presentations, I was able to review key concepts, and most importantly, absorb valuable new information and experiences. Moreover, some ideas and disciplines introduced from Computer Vision also broadened my approach and outlook to problems encountered in the course of my PhD research. As to my paper, entitled "Integration of Videogrammetry and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Dynamic Surface Modelling", the methodology and results of the proof-of-concept tests were presented. The talk was well received, and some positive feedback leads me to believe that I am progressing in the right direction.

One of the highlights of Electronic Imaging 2005 was the presentation given by Justin Maki of Jet Propulsion Lab, in the plenary session. The title of his talk was "20 Cameras on Mars: The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Imaging System". In the talk, an overview of the MER Imaging System was provided, including details such as the camera hardware, the onboard imaging processing capabilities of the MER rovers, and the processing capabilities of the earth-based operational image processing system. Finally, some astonishing images from the MER mission, including the most recently received from each rover were also shown. The whole presentation really opened my eyes to this matter, and greatly impressed me.

Another exciting part was the host of special events, including the 3D Phantogram Exhibit, the demonstration of stereoscopic displays and the poster session. Phantograms are a form of 3D images intentionally shot at an angle and then processed to remove the perspective distortions introduced by the shooting angle. In the exhibition, many art works were displayed and by simply putting on a pair of anaglyph glasses, the vivid 3D objects leapt out from the 2D images. Meanwhile the exposition of stereoscopic displays was running in the other room. Many companies, such as For3DTV, StereoGraphics, Planar, dep3D etc., showcased their latest products and technologies, and offered attendees ample hands-on demonstrations of stereoscopic hardware and software. The displays excellently complemented the presentations given in the conference, and further improved the connection of academia and industry. Following the exhibitions, the poster session took centre stage. Over one hundred poster papers, dealing with diverse subjects were on display, with the authors keen to engage in in-depth explanation and discussion. The whole conference was a great experience and provided an excellent opportunity for me to learn more about cutting edge research in the Electronic Imaging community.

3D Phantogram Exhibit
Demonstration of stereoscopic displays
The highly popular poster session

So many engaging features made this symposium a great success and it is no wonder therefore, that over 1200 delegates from both industry and academia were attracted to attend. I greatly appreciate the Royal Photographic Society Imaging Science Group's award of the Research Student Travel Grant which enabled me to participate and immerse myself in the excellent Electronic Imaging 2005.