The Multiresolution Segmentation algorithm locally minimizes the average heterogeneity
of image objects for a given resolution of image objects. It can be executed on an existing
image object level or the pixel level for creating new image objects on a new image object
level.
Figure 3.4. Result of multiresolution segmentation with scale 10, shape 0.1 and compactness
0.5
The multiresolution segmentation algorithm consecutively merges pixels or existing im-
age objects. Thus it is a bottom-up segmentation algorithm based on a pairwise region
merging technique. Multiresolution segmentation is an optimization procedure which,
for a given number of image objects, minimizes the average heterogeneity and maximizes
their respective homogeneity.
The segmentation procedure works according the following rules, representing a mutual-
best-fitting approach:
1. The segmentation procedure starts with single image objects of one pixel and re-
peatedly merges them in several loops in pairs to larger units as long as an upper
threshold of homogeneity is not exceeded locally. This homogeneity criterion is
defined as a combination of spectral homogeneity and shape homogeneity. You