Segmentation prize doubled to $100,000!
Also: new wish list items; hiring a segmenter; first progress prize round closed
First Automated Segmentation Prize now worth $100,000
We are excited to see the segmentation progress to date! So excited that we want to see even more! The First Automated Segmentation Prize has been doubled to reflect this. If you have ideas for fast segmentation, we want to reward them!!
There is lots of related progress - we have ThaumatoAnakalyptor, multi-resolution chunked data in Khartes, tools for comparing and inspecting segments, 3D air-papyrus segmentation networks, and much more!
New wish list items
We’ve updated our wish list for progress prize contributions. We’d like to highlight the following (some old, some new):
Off-axis segmentation: allowing the slice direction to vary during segmentation, in Volume Cartographer and/or other tools. One nice starting point would be to have these tools accept OME-Zarr as an input image format.
Mesh merging: tool to combine multiple overlapping segmentations into a single, continuous mesh (manifold and non-intersecting).
Mesh chunker: tool to translate a set of input meshes into a set of annotated cubes of configurable size. Each cube should represent/store each intersecting papyrus segment as its own mesh (continuous, manifold, non-intersecting).
Compressed areas: improved segmentation methods for regions of compressed papyrus
Live previews: visualization improvements that show live segment previews during segmentation and allow refinements to update the preview
Hiring a segmentation team member
We are interested in hiring an additional member for our segmentation team, to spend 20+ hours/week being the first person in 2,000 years to see these papyrus surfaces. Email team@scrollprize.org with a CV and your contest involvement if you are interested!
First Progress Prize round closed
The first month of progress prize submissions has closed, and we are now reviewing the many great submissions we received. Thank you all for your contributions! The submission form for April Progress Prizes is now live.
Some fun facts
Did you know Plato was the first to talk about segmentation?
"First, the taking in of scattered particulars under one Idea, so that everyone understands what is being talked about ... Second, the separation of the Idea into parts, by dividing it at the joints, as nature directs, not breaking any limb in half as a bad carver might."
Plato, Phaedrus, 265D (370 BCE)
Segmented arches support many structures including some Roman residential construction. Segmented neutrophils are a crucial part of our immune systems. Early research suggests segmented scrolls may be even cooler.
Segmentation faults are no fun, but segmentation feats are one of life’s finest pleasures.
Wonderful and exciting!
Apparently other people are running AI on the scrolls? I guess these are other fragments not in the current comp?
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/platos-burial-place-finally-revealed-after-ai-deciphers-ancient-scroll-carbonized-in-mount-vesuvius-eruption