Implementation and comparison of binary thinning algorithms on GPU
Résumé
Thinning algorithms have been widely applied in many applications such as computer graphics, computer vision and medical imaging. The performances of thinning algorithms are hampered by the increase of image's size and image's content. By employing graphics processing units (GPUs), the calculation of thinning algorithms can be accelerated. In this paper, we present GPU parallel versions of well-known binary thinning algorithms namely the ZS algorithm, the GH algorithm, the AW algorithm and the hybrid algorithm belonging to different classes for an efficient implementation using CUDA as a parallel programming model. These thinning algorithms are then evaluated and compared according to quality and runtime measures. The obtained results show that the GPU multithreaded implementations of the selected algorithms present high computational speed outperforming the central processing unit sequential implementations achieving the best average speedup when executing the AW algorithm.