The chapters in this volume were presented at the July-August 2006 NATO
Advanced Study Institute on Imaging for Detection and Identi?cation. The
conference was held at the beautiful Il Ciocco resort near Lucca, in the
glo- ous Tuscany region of northern Italy. For the eighth time we
gathered at this
idyllicspottoexploreandextendthereciprocitybetweenmathematicsand-
gineering. The dynamic interaction between world-renowned scientists
from the usually disparate communities of pure mathematicians and
applied sci- tists which occurred at our seven previous ASI's continued
at this meeting. The fusion of basic ideas in mathematics, radar, sonar,
biology, and ch- istry with ongoing improvements in hardware and
computation offers the promise of much more sophisticated and accurate
detection and identi?cation capabilities than currently exist. Coupled
with the dramatic rise in the need for surveillance in innumerable
aspects of our daily lives, brought about by hostile acts deemed
unimaginable only a few short years ago, the time is ripe for image
processing scientists in these usually diverse ?elds to join together in
a concerted effort to combat the new brands of terrorism. This ASI was
one important initial step.