© 2008 R. Schneider 1

Focus Projects for Student

Involvement in Researching the

Scientific Properties of the

Shroud of Turin

by

Ray Schneider

Assistant Professor

Math and Computer Science

Bridgewater College, VA

© 2008 R. Schneider 2

Involving the Future Generation

• Each Generation Has A Responsibility to

Inspire the Next

• Failing that a Discipline Ends until a New

Pioneer takes it up again

• This Is a summary account of a project to

develop Focus Projects to involve student

researchers in the Shroud Adventure

© 2008 R. Schneider 3

Focus Projects

• A Focus Project is Vision Centered

• It is on-going, forming part of a larger

reality

• Each Contribution to a Focus Project

advances towards the goals

• Here the Goal is Understanding the

Shroud of Turin

http://www.bridgewater.edu/~rschneid/FocusProjects/focus_projects.htm

© 2008 R. Schneider 4

Building

Understanding• One Brick at a Time

• Requires

– Tools

– Knowledge

– Work

© 2008 R. Schneider 5

Toolswe restrict our attention to image analysis

• Materials: ex. Detailed Images

• Analysis and Programming Tools (ex.

Imaging), examples:

– CVIPtools

– ImageJ

– GIMP

– PIL

– MatLab

– Photoshop

– and many other tools are readily available

The DVD

Shroud Science Kit

© 2008 R. Schneider 6

Work = Suggested Projects

• The following eleven projects are illustrative. Each is briefly presented with a

– TITLE

– BRIEF SYNOPSIS

– SUMMARY GOALS

• Some projects can be divided into sub-projects because they are large and complex

© 2008 R. Schneider 7

1. Universal Coordinate System

• Used to allow the transfer of coordinates

from one image of the shroud to another

– input: universal coordinates, and image

– output: specific coordinates in the image

– There are issues of precision since the shroud

is a flexible object and will vary from showing

to showing

– ex. See examples of different images at

http://www.bridgewater.edu/~rschneid/

FocusProjects/Shroud/ShroudMeasure/shroudCal.html

© 2008 R. Schneider 8

1. Universal Coordinate SystemTake a coordinate

set from one image

and translate it to

another by going

through a universal

intermediate.

Universal

Transformation

Durante 2000

Schwortz 1978

© 2008 R. Schneider 9

2. Color Normalization

• Transformation of colors from one image of

the shroud to another to achieve maximum

uniformity

– study of transformation between color systems

– modifying images to achieve uniformity of

illumination

– form comparison matching colors, illumination,

contrast, etc. as closely as possible

© 2008 R. Schneider 10

3. Color Segmentation• Create algorithms for dividing the shroud

up analytically into blood, image, cloth,

water stain, dirt, bands, etc. regions

– classification may depend on color, texture,

luminance, and combinations of attributes

– ideally such classification should work on

multiple images after (2.) Color Normalization.

© 2008 R. Schneider 11

• Reflected and

transmitted light

• Reveal density

differences and

reflectance

differences in

the cloth of the

shroud

4. Banding Studies

© 2008 R. Schneider 12

5. Study of Blood Markings

• Distinguish features of

wounds and the

manner of their

infliction

© 2008 R. Schneider 13

6. Development of Shroud Feature

Classification Spaces

• Features Can Be

Based on

– Point Measures

– Area Analyses

– Combinations of

heterogeneous metrics

• Typically Features

would be collected in a

Database for retrieval

© 2008 R. Schneider 14

7. Taxonomy / Data Space of Shroud

Images and Co-functional Viewer

• Highly Interactive Database on the Shroud

over the Internet serving dynamic

information and analyses.

database

documents

images

server

© 2008 R. Schneider 15

8. Weave Rider

1. Extract the Weave

Elements

2. Analyze each

“brick”

3. Classify each

“brick”

4. Develop Statistics

and feature sets

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1435443261/bctid1435496345

© 2008 R. Schneider 16

9. Blood Flow Analysis

• Develop analytical models for both blood characteristics and evolution of blood flow

• Source of blood

• Time sequencing of blood flow

© 2008 R. Schneider 17

• The question is whether

the three dimensional

information in the shroud

image (see VP-8 and

John German’s* transfer

function image) can be

significantly improved by

signal processing

10. Three Dimensional Information

Analysis with Noise Suppression

* An Electronic Technique for Constructing An

Accurate Three-Dimensional Shroud Image by

John D. German, Jr. (1977 United States Conference

on Research on the Shroud of Turin March 23-24

Albuquerque, New Mexico

© 2008 R. Schneider 18

11. Replication

• Science Depends for its results on

replication. Much previous work on the

shroud ought to be replicated.

– Establishes Results on a Firmer Footing

– Ensures that Things possibly overlooked by

prior investigators have another chance to be

discovered and elucidated.

• Ex. Study of fold marks, water stain study,

Prey holes

© 2008 R. Schneider 19

The Shroud of Turin

Focus Project Kit

• Probably in Two Versions

– The Intermediate Version (low cost)*• Software

• Sample Data (intermediate resolution)

• Project Definitions

– The Advanced Version• Follow-On based on serious research intent

• Comprehensive Data under license (high resolution)

• Provided based on Research Proposals

* any cost will be only to recover expenses

The DVD

Shroud Science Kit

Doesn’t Exist Yet

© 2008 R. Schneider 20

• Understand All the

Characteristics of the

Shroud of Turin to the

Extent Possible

The Final ObjectiveThe Shroud Science Group