Adaptive generalized vector median

In this paper, a new adaptive filter intended for the attenuation of impulse noise in colour images is proposed. The new filtering design is based on the concept of a peer group of pixels sharing similar chromatic properties. The novel approach adaptively determines the size of the peer group which minimizes the aggregated distance to its members, utilizing the Fisher linear discriminant. The analysis of the obtained noise reduction results leads to the conclusion, that the new filter is capable of reducing even strong impulse noise, while preserving and even enhancing the edges of colour images. This unique property of the proposed filtering design is shown on examples of colour biomedical images.