Build up and History

The predecessor of HIQNET: International HQITL (High Quality Imaging and Television Laboratories) was founded in March 1991 after more than one year of effort by Professor V. Ralph Algazi with CIPIC at the University of California, Davis and Professor Makoto Miyahara at Nagaoka Technological University (now at JAIST). Initially, HQITL started as a collabolation between Japan and the USA.

HQITL emphasized core research areas partinent to high quality image and video analysis, processing, transmission, recording, storage and display in an integrated digital environment combined with computers.

The development of HQITL(1991-1993) in Japan has been as follows.

Proposal for grants to HQITL been accepted and supported by the JSPS(Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) combined with the NSF( National Science Fundation) in the USA and by the Abstract of Monbusho International Scientific Research Program. (directors: Professor Yasuhiko Yasuda at Waseda University and Professor Shigeo Tsujii at Tokyo Institute of Technology (now at Chuo University) respectively)
HQITL has been managed by an Exective Committee of the Research Project for High Quality Image Communication in the Coming Generation whose director was Professor Shigeo Tsujii. HQITL was supported by the circle for the Promotion of Science and Engineering supported by many collaborating companies in Japan. Five symposium were held at the University of California Davis, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Waseda University.

In 1994, the name HQITL was changed to HIQNET. Improvements include,

1. closer collaboration between members who are active and prominent in the field of very high quality imaging, and
2. joint research under taken between prominent researchers in Europe.

Development from 1994,

1994 Open PCS 94, Director Prof. V.R.Algazi(UC/Davis CIPIC)

1995 "A fundamental study on Extra High Quality imaging technology" Abstract of Monbusho International Scientific Program, director:Prof. M.Miyahara(JAIST), representative of USA:Prof. V.R.Algazi(UC/Davis CIPIC), representative of Europe:Prof. H.Maitre(ENST)

1995 "Reseraches on new generation Multimedia System putting stress on the quality of Source of Information", Monbusho Grant-in-Aid for Co-operative Research(A), director:Prof. M.Miyahara(JAIST)

1997 Link to the big project: "Extra High Quality Audio-Visual System for Creation of Future A-V Works and Two-Way Presence Communication": JSPS-RFTF97P00601, JSPS's Research Project for Future Program.
Director: Prof. M.Miyahara(JAIST)

The focus of HIQNET are,

1. Develop Extra High Quality imaging system combined with Extra High Quality sound system,
2. High Quality multi-media documents: noise removal, enhancement, unsharp masking, rotation and removal of aliasing and transformation of color tone,
3. New coding especially for very high quality images and transparent image coding, mainly on the loss-less coding,
4. PQS (Picture Quality Scale) and psychophysics inherent in extra high quality images,
5. Applications of the above results to the highly infomalized society.