Segmentation-based Initialization for Steered Mixture of Experts

The Steered-Mixture-of-Experts (SMoE) model is an edge-aware kernel representation that has successfully been explored for the compression of images, video, and higher-dimensional data such as light fields. The present work aims to leverage the potential for enhanced compression gains through efficient kernel reduction. We propose a fast segmentation-based strategy to identify a sufficient number of kernels for representing an image and giving initial kernel parametrization. The strategy implies both reduced memory footprint and reduced computational complexity for the subsequent parameter optimization, resulting in an overall faster processing time. Fewer kernels, when combined with the inherent sparsity of the SMoEs, further enhance the overall compression performance. Empirical evaluations demonstrate a gain of 0.3-1.0 dB in PSNR for a constant number of kernels, and the use of 23 % less kernels and 25 % less time for constant PSNR. The results highlight the feasibility and practicality of the approach, positioning it as a valuable solution for various image-related applications, including image compression.