Research advances and prospects of mathematical morphology in image processing

Mathematical morphology, due to its basic concept of set theory, has an inherent advantage for image processing. Morphological framework shows mighty vitality not only because it can perform tasks from the simplest to the most demanding: noise reduction, edge detection, segmentation, texture and shape analysis, etc, but also because it can be applied to almost all application fields dealing with digital image processing. This paper discusses the extension of set operations, structuring element conformation and combination with other image processing methods, which are three main aspects to research the development of morphology. Besides, an objective forecast for future tendency about mathematical morphology is proposed.