Hierarchical Representations of 2D/3D Gray-Scale Images and Their 2D/3D Two-Way Conversion

This article proposes G-octree as an extension of G-quadtree to three dimensions. A G-octree reflects in its construction a hierarchy of gray-scale level value homogeneity, as well as a hierarchy of spatial resolution. The article also develops two-way G-quadtree/Goctree conversion procedures based on the algorithms for the binary case. These procedures provide an integrated processing environment for hierarchically represented 2D/3D gray.scale images. We demonstrate our approach with an application to the color coding of macro-autoradiography images taken from rat brains.