Reading an image processing
discussion on Mathematica Stackexchange I came by an interesting recent (2013) conference publication:
Automated image analysis for measuring size and shape of Martian sand grains: a tool to estimate threshold shear velocities and to compare
different sand samples.
by J. Kozakiewicz, Institute of Geography and Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University and Astronomical Observatory, Krakow, PolandIn this paper Dr. Kozakiewicz reports that he used Mathematica to analyze images from Microscopic Imager (MI) of Mars Exploration Rover Mission (MER).
The automated image analysis was used to compare the terrestrial and Martian material which builds crests of coarse-grained ripples. It allows for fast estimation of the size and shape of Martian sand grains. The obtained grain-size distributions of the Martian deposits were compared and several types of sand were distinguished. The threshold shear velocities for these different sands were estimated and discussed.
