A Design Method for Relaxation Labeling Applications

A summary of mathematical results developing theory of consistency in ambiguous labelings is presented. This theory allows the relaxation labeling algorithm, introduced in [Rosenfeld, Hummel, Zucker, 19761, to be interpreted as a method for finding consistent labelings, and allows specific applications to be tailored in accordance with intended design goals. We discuss, with a couple of examples, a design methodology for using this theory for practical applications.