title: Automated X-ray image analysis for cargo security: Critical review and future promise.
abstract: We review the relatively immature field of automated image analysis for X-ray cargo imagery. There is increasing demand for automated analysis methods that can assist in the inspection and selection of containers, due to the ever-growing volumes of traded cargo and the increasing concerns that customs- and security-related threats are being smuggled across borders by organised crime and terrorist networks. We split the field into the classical pipeline of image preprocessing and image understanding. Preprocessing includes: image manipulation; quality improvement; Threat Image Projection (TIP); and material discrimination and segmentation. Image understanding includes: Automated Threat Detection (ATD); and Automated Contents Verification (ACV). We identify several gaps in the literature that need to be addressed and propose ideas for future research. Where the current literature is sparse we borrow from the single-view, multi-view, and CT X-ray baggage domains, which have some characteristics in common with X-ray cargo.
authors: Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK.|Department of Security and Crime Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
authors: Thomas W
authors: TW
authors: Rogers
authors: Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK.
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Jaccard
authors: Rapiscan Systems, Torrance, California, USA.
authors: Edward J
authors: EJ
authors: Morton
authors: Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK.
authors: Lewis D
authors: LD
authors: Griffin
mesh_terms: D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D012637:Security Measures; D023481:Terrorism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014186:Transportation / Q000592:standards*; D014965:X-Rays
keywords: X-ray; automated threat detection; computer vision; image analysis; segmentation