Ibn al-Haytham and the origins of modern image analysis

The noted science historian, David Lindberg, wrote that "Alhazen was undoubtedly the most significant figure in the history of optics between antiquity and the seventeenth century." Impressive and accurate as this characterization of Ibn al-Haytham (Latinized as Alhazen or Alhacen) is, it significantly understates the impact he had on areas as diverse as the theology, literature, art, and science of Europe. The work on computerized image analysis that I discuss elsewhere at this conference can be rightfully seen as the latest link in an unbroken chain that connects 21st century optical scientists with our intellectual progenitor, Ibn al-Haytham; a span of almost 1000 years.