The TC16 on “Algebraic and Discrete Mathematical Techniques in Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis” is glad to announce that the IMTA-VII workshop will take place as a satellite event of ICPR 2020 (Milan, Italy, January 10-15, 2021).

Image mining methods are able to extract knowledge and to highlight patterns, enabling very important applications such as medical diagnosis, robotics, technical diagnosis and non-destructive testing, precision agriculture, novel industrial support system, remote sensing, and many others. The mathematical foundations, means and tools are of the first importance for the field. In essence, the mathematical aspects of image analysis and pattern recognition, mainly of image mining – a leading line of the modern mathematical theory of image analysis - are the subject of IMTA-VII.

The technological advances and the increase of storage capability support the growth of large and detailed, but possibly noisy, image datasets. Hence, IMTA-VII topics are of utmost relevance being the perfect humus for giving rise to important cross-contamination with other emerging fields, both theoretical and applied. ICPR,  being recognized as the main scientific event in pattern recognition, image analysis and allied scientific and technological areas, is an excellent venue for IMTA-VII.

The workshop is intended to cover, but it is not limited to, the following topics:

• Methodological advances in image analysis and pattern recognition;
• New Mathematical Techniques in Image Mining;
• Image Models, Representations and Features;
• Automation of Image and Data Mining;
• Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Image Mining;
• Applied problems.

The full texts of the papers presented at the IMTA VII, selected and recommended by IMTA Committee, will be published in 2021 in a Special Issue of the International Journal of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis. Advances in Mathematical Theory and Applications” (PRIA).

Notice, that due to the COVID19 outbreak, ICPR, initially planned for September 2020, has been postponed to January 10-15, 2021. Therefore, IMTA-VII has been moved to January 11, 2021.

For updated papers submission instructions and important dates, please see: http://iapr-tc16.isti.cnr.it/IMTA2020/

A new (April 2019) list of books has been made available to IAPR for review from Springer, CRC Press, and Sebtel Press.  The books are sent free of charge in exchange for a review for publication in the IAPR Newsletters. The list is available here.

In case you are willing to receive a book and write a review, contact Owais Mehmood, IAPR Associate Editor for Book Reviews, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The TC16 was proposed by the Russian Federation "Association for Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis" and created in 1996 (at the meeting of the IAPR Governing Board in Vienna, 13th ICPR). The “Association” represented in the IAPR the Russian Academy of Sciences till 2006, then the representative of the RAS in the IAPR become the “National Committee of the Russian Academy of Sciences for Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis”. TC 16 successfully worked till 2012, but from 2012 its activity was blocked without reasonable explanations of scientific nature by the prejudiced decision of some IAPR exco members. During 6 years prominent scientists working in the field of TC 16 scientific scope (including full member of the National Academy of Sciences of Byelarus Republick professor S.Ablameyko, Dr.-Eng/ I.Gurevich, professor S.Marinari, Dr. D.Moroni, professor A.Nemirko, professor H.Niemann, professor D.Paulus, professor B.Radig, professor G.Ritter, professor O.Salvetti, full member of the RAS professor V.Soifer, professor C.Suen, Dr. V.Yashinamade and many others) made a lot of efforts to restore the TC 16. As a result in 2019 the TC 16 was “restarted”. Unfortunately, after this artificial interval, the new leadership of TC 16 has to begin from the very beginning.

The first step of a new TC 16 life in 2019 was forming TC 16 Board. At the moment it includes the following scientists:

• TC16 chair: Dr. Davide Moroni, Institute of Information Science and Technologies, Pisa, Italy, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• TC16 vice-chair: Prof. Dietrich Paulus, University Koblenz-Landau, Koblenz, Germany, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• TC16 vice-chair: Dr. Vera Yashina, Federal Research Center “Computer Sciences and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• TC16 honorary chair: Dr.-Eng. Igor Gurevich, Federal Research Center “Computer Sciences and Control” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• TC16 Board member: Prof. Dr. Heinrich Niemann, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• TC16 Board member: Prof. Dr. Bernd Radig, Munich Technical University, Munich, Germany, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• TC16 Board member: Prof. Dr. Gerhard Ritter, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• TC16 Board member: Prof. Ovidio Salvetti, Institute of Information Science and Technologies "A. Faedo" (ISTI) National Research Council of Italy (CNR) - Research Area of Pisa, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
• TC16 Secretary: Dr. Maria Antonietta Pascali, Institute of Information Science and Technologies "A. Faedo" (ISTI) National Research Council of Italy (CNR) - Research Area of Pisa, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Main Goals and Means of TC 16

The domain of scientific specificity of TC 15 is in a broad sense mathematical theory of image analysis and the mathematical theory of pattern recognition.

The Goals are:

1. to unite the Algebraic, Discrete Mathematics and otherwise mathematically inspired scientists, engineers, researchers, IT-people involved in Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis for providing them new opportunities to know and understand each other better and to communicate regularly.
2. to obtain a body for discussing actual and prospective lines of research and exchange of the results in Algebraic and Discrete Mathematics Problems and Techniques inspired by Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis.

The means which TC 16 uses to achieve the goals are more or less standard for IAPR TCs: the organization of workshops and conferences, the preparation of publications (survey articles, state of the art and position papers, tutorials, etc.), the design of databases, support of communication between members, exchange by results, creation and collection of educational materials, etc.

The Scope and the Motivation

Automation of image-mining is one of the most important strategic goals in image analysis, recognition and understanding both in scientific and technological aspects. The main subgoals are developing and applying mathematical theory for constructing image models accepted by efficient pattern recognition algorithms and for constructing standardized representation and selection of image analysis transforms. Automation of image-mining is possible by combined application of different mathematical techniques for image analysis, understanding and recognition.

Automation of image processing, analysis, estimating and understanding is one of the crucial points of theoretical computer science having decisive importance for applications, in particular, for diversification of solvable problem types and for increasing the efficiency of problem-solving.

The role of an image as an analysis and estimation object is determined by its specific and inalienable informational properties. Image is a mixture and a combination of initial (raw, “real”) data and its representation means, of computational procedures results and of the physical nature and of the models of objects, events and processes represented via an image.

The specificity, complexity and difficulties of image analysis and estimation (IAE) problems stem from necessity to achieve some balance between such highly contradictory factors as goals and tasks of problem-solving, the nature of visual perception, ways and means of an image acquisition, formation, reproduction and rendering, and mathematical, computational and technological means allowable for the IAE.

The mathematical theory of image analysis is not finished and is passing through a developing stage. It recently came an understanding of the fact that only intensive developing of a comprehensive mathematical theory of image analysis and recognition (in addition to the mathematical theory of pattern recognition) could bring a real opportunity to solve efficiently application problems via extracting from an image of the information necessary for intelligent decision making. The transition to practical, reliable and efficient automation of image mining is directly dependent on introducing and developing new mathematical means for IAE.

Invitation for the Next Steps

The plans for TC 16 further activity will be outlined in the next issue of IAPR Newsletter and at TC 16 site http://iapr-tc16.isti.cnr.it/index.php/survey.

With this respect, the TC 16 Board invites the interested people – scientists, researchers, engineers, specialists, PhD and graduate students to join the IAPR Technical Committee 16 and to take part in its diverse and promising activity. As a mild introduction in TC16 activities, people are invited to visit http://iapr-tc16.isti.cnr.it/index.php/survey and to register yourself by filling in the questionary of the IAPR TC16. Your precious contribution will help us to better characterize TC16 main topics, potentially merging with other emerging research trends, and drive future actions of the organization. A report of the Survey of the results of registration will be published, in particular, at http://iapr-tc16.isti.cnr.it/.

In case of any questions, You may apply via e-mail to TC 16 Secretary or to any member of the TC 16 Board.

TC 16 Editors

Dr/-Eng. Igor Gurevich

Dr. Vera Yashina

The new IAPR-TC16 website is online!