Image segmentation is the partitioning of an image into related meaningful sections or regions. Segmentation is the key ¦rst step for a number of image analysis approaches. Ÿe nature and quality of the image segmentation result is a critical factor in determining the level of performance of these image analysis approaches. It is expected that an appropriately designed image segmentation approach will provide a better understanding of a landscape and/or signi¦cantly increase the accuracy of a landscape classi¦cation. An image can be partitioned in several ways, based on numerous criteria. Whether or not a particular image partitioning is useful depends on the goal of the image analysis application that is fed by the image segmentation result.