Kirk Martinez

Kirk Martinez is a Senior Lecturer in Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton UK. He gained a BSc in Physics from the University of Reading and a PhD in Image Processing in the department of Electronic Systems Engineering at the University of Essex. While Arts Computing Lecturer at Birkbeck College London (1987-96) he pioneered the digital imaging of paintings together with The National Gallery, London in the European project [http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/km/projs/vasari/ VASARI] (1980s). This led to a continuous development of art imaging projects to print accurate art books (MARC project), view high detail images on the web (Viseum project [http://www.tasi.ac.uk/resources/viseum.html] ) and find art images online (Artiste, SCULPTEUR and eCHASE). He has published this research in books on [http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/6134/ image processing] and [http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/8881/ computer architecture] as well as [http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/6271/ Transactions of the IEEE] on content-based image retrieval

He is one of the founders of the Electronics and the Visual Arts: EVA Conferences

He is the founder of the [http://www.vips.ecs.soton.ac.uk/ VIPS] image processing package together with John Cupitt (National Gallery and now Imperial College London). This now used widely worldwide and available in most Linux distributions as well as for Microsoft Windows. It is particularly known for mosaicing, colour and parallel processing/performance.

He is currently working on wireless sensor networks for monitoring the environment, particularly in relation to glaciers and climate change ( [http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/dec05/2373 Glacsweb project] ). This research featured on [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3777751.stm BBC technology news] and the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY8AagMh_1M BBC's News] .

external links and references

* [http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/km/ his home page]
* [http://envisense.org/glacsweb/ Glacsweb]
* [http://www.cwhonors.org/search/his_4a_detail.asp?id=1703 Computerworld nomination for the VASARI project]
* [http://www.lifeboat.com/ex/bios.kirk.martinez article on Lifeboat]
* [http://www.archimedespalimpsest.org/imaging_experimental1.html work on Archimedes Palimpsest]
* [http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/12371/ VIPS publication]