Topological tracking of connected components in image sequences

Taking as input a time-varying sequence of 2D binary digital images, we develop an algorithm for encoding, in the so-called spatiotemporal barcode, lifetime of connected components that are moving in the sequence over time. Given a connected component in a specific time in the sequence, we can track it backwards, by what we call a spatiotemporal path. The main contribution of this paper lies in a new algorithm that computes spatiotemporal paths valid for both foreground and background and developed in a general context, setting the ground for tracking higher dimensional topological features in nD.