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Syntactic Pattern Recognition: An introduction
Pattern RecoonitumVoL I 1. p. 223. Pergamon Press Lid 1979 Printedin Great Britain Pattern RecognitionSociety
BOOK REVIEWS
(Excerpted from the Prefaces) Syntactic Pattern Recognition: An Introduction. Rafael C. Gonzalez and Michael G. Thomason. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA. This book was written to provide students, engineers and scientists involved in pattern recognition, digital image processing and artificial intelligence with a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and techniques of syntactic pattern recognition. Syntactic pattern recognition is concerned with the application of formal language and automata theory to the modeling and description of structural relationships in pattern classes. This is in contrast with classical decision-theoretic methods, in which recognition is generally performed on a strictly quantitative basis without explicit use of structural information. The capability for describing structure is particularly important in pictorial pattern recognition, scene analysis and other applications where primitive elements and their relationships are essential characteristics. The principal objectives of this book are to provide an introduction to the basic concepts and techniques of syntactic pattern recognition and to lay a foundation that can be used as the basis for further study and research in this field: To achieve these objectives, we have focused attention on material which we feel is fundamental and for which the scope of applications is not limited to specialized problems. The presentation emphasizes practical rather than strictly theoretical aspects, and numerous examples are provided to illustrate the principles developed in the text. Most of the topics covered in the book have been taught by the authors in first-year graduate courses at the University of Tennessee. We have also included revised material presented in short courses and seminars. The mathematical level is well within the grasp of seniors in a technical discipline, such as engineering and computer science, which requires introductory preparation in mathematics and probability. Essays of an Information Scientist (Volumes 1 and 2). Eugene Garfield, ISI Press, Philadelphia, PA. Since 1962 1 have been writing a column for Current Contents. At first the column appeared only rarely, but thereafter with increasing frequency, until in 1972 it appeared weekly without interruption, as it has since. The idea of putting the columns - I have called them essays, editorials, studies, etc. - together in book form appealed to me very early. If for no other reason, it seemed the only way possible of maintaining a complete set for my own use. Because the essays are reprinted here just as they appeared, they contain in their texts page references that refer to the particular issue of Current Contents. Those page references, of course, have nothing to do with the two volumes in which the essays now appear. The material referred to, however, whether illustration, table, figure or reprint, will always be found with the essay concerned. Much that I've written has not been subject to any formal refereeing. Those who know me will know as well, however, that very few of my essays are published without consulting others for opinion and advice. Most often those to whom l've turned have been members of ISrs staff.
223
BOOK REVIEWS
(Excerpted from the Prefaces) Syntactic Pattern Recognition: An Introduction. Rafael C. Gonzalez and Michael G. Thomason. Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA. This book was written to provide students, engineers and scientists involved in pattern recognition, digital image processing and artificial intelligence with a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and techniques of syntactic pattern recognition. Syntactic pattern recognition is concerned with the application of formal language and automata theory to the modeling and description of structural relationships in pattern classes. This is in contrast with classical decision-theoretic methods, in which recognition is generally performed on a strictly quantitative basis without explicit use of structural information. The capability for describing structure is particularly important in pictorial pattern recognition, scene analysis and other applications where primitive elements and their relationships are essential characteristics. The principal objectives of this book are to provide an introduction to the basic concepts and techniques of syntactic pattern recognition and to lay a foundation that can be used as the basis for further study and research in this field: To achieve these objectives, we have focused attention on material which we feel is fundamental and for which the scope of applications is not limited to specialized problems. The presentation emphasizes practical rather than strictly theoretical aspects, and numerous examples are provided to illustrate the principles developed in the text. Most of the topics covered in the book have been taught by the authors in first-year graduate courses at the University of Tennessee. We have also included revised material presented in short courses and seminars. The mathematical level is well within the grasp of seniors in a technical discipline, such as engineering and computer science, which requires introductory preparation in mathematics and probability. Essays of an Information Scientist (Volumes 1 and 2). Eugene Garfield, ISI Press, Philadelphia, PA. Since 1962 1 have been writing a column for Current Contents. At first the column appeared only rarely, but thereafter with increasing frequency, until in 1972 it appeared weekly without interruption, as it has since. The idea of putting the columns - I have called them essays, editorials, studies, etc. - together in book form appealed to me very early. If for no other reason, it seemed the only way possible of maintaining a complete set for my own use. Because the essays are reprinted here just as they appeared, they contain in their texts page references that refer to the particular issue of Current Contents. Those page references, of course, have nothing to do with the two volumes in which the essays now appear. The material referred to, however, whether illustration, table, figure or reprint, will always be found with the essay concerned. Much that I've written has not been subject to any formal refereeing. Those who know me will know as well, however, that very few of my essays are published without consulting others for opinion and advice. Most often those to whom l've turned have been members of ISrs staff.
223