A multiscale expectation-maximization semisupervised classifier suitable for badly posed image classification

This paper deals with the problem of badly posed image classification. Although underestimated in practice, bad-posedness is likely to affect many real-cworld image classification tasks, where reference samples are difficult to collect (e.g., in remote sensing (RS) image mapping) and/or spatial autocorrelation is relevant. In an image classification context affected by a lack of reference samples, an original inductive learning multiscale image classifier, termed multiscale semisupervised expectation maximization (MSEM), is proposed. The rationale behind MSEM is to combine useful complementary properties of two alternative data mapping procedures recently published outside of image processing literature, namely, the multiscale modified Pappas adaptive clustering (MPAC) algorithm and the sample-based semisupervised expectation maximization (SEM) classifier. To demonstrate its potential utility, MSEM is compared against nonstandard classifiers, such as MPAC, SEM and the single-scale cont...