Basic concepts for the MIL Registration module

Depth of field. The tolerated distance from the focus distance of a camera setup in which objects are considered in focus.

Global pixel coordinate system. The coordinate system in which the transformations, resulting from the registration calculation, position the images.

Mosaicing. The process of combining many smaller images to form one larger image, using the results of the registration calculation.

Overlapping region. The region in images that share the same coordinates in a common coordinate system.

Reference image. The image with respect to whose coordinate system you set the rough location of another image. Each image must be positioned with respect to either a reference image's pixel coordinate system or the global pixel coordinate system.

Registration. The registration of images involves finding the transformations that optimally position images in a common (global) coordinate system.

Registration element. A container for the settings used to control the registration of a specific image. Registration elements are located in the registration context.

Registration element's image. The image whose index in the image array is the same as the index of a particular registration element. The registration of an image is controlled by the contents of its associated registration element.

Registration context. The MIL registration context is a container for the registration information and each individual registration element.

Registration result element. A registration result element, located in the registration result buffer, is a container for the registration results of its associated image. It also contains settings to control the mosaicing and coordinate transformation operations.

Rough location. Approximate location of an image in its reference image's pixel coordinate system. The registration calculation finds the transformation that will convert the image's rough location into its optimal location in the global pixel coordinate system.

Transformation matrix. A matrix that maps a set of coordinates from a source coordinate system into a destination coordinate system.