ITR: Theory and Design of Watermarking Codes

随着数字视频、图像、音频等数据在互联网等媒体上的广泛传播，信息保护和版权保护已成为至关重要的领域。近年来，这些应用引起了人们对数字水印技术的极大兴趣。虽然新的水印算法和克服它们的新方法已经被开发出来，但信息论的基本原理几乎没有触及这个领域的表面，PI最近的结果表明，现有的水印方案的运行远远低于最终可实现的极限。我们打算发展我们的水印编码理论，并构建接近容量的编码。我们还计划发展一项密切相关的研究主题，即图像和视频的稳健水印和身份验证技术。我们的研究将以广泛的知识(其中大部分是在过去十年发展起来的)为指导，一方面是在现代通信系统的背景下发展的，另一方面是图像分析。我们的计划是探索以下主题：高斯信道的代码。我们最近得到了包含高斯源和平方误差失真度量的信道的隐藏容量的闭合形式的解。我们在这项研究中的第一个目标是开发其性能接近此类信道的容量的码。该模型不仅在实际的水印应用中是有用的，还将阐明构造水印代码所涉及的基本问题。因此，其含义超出了所研究的特定模型。攻击通道参数的估计。在盲水印应用中，解码器无法访问原始数据，也不知道可能已被用来破坏数据的特定攻击。图像数据的缩放、移动、旋转或扭曲等去同步攻击可能是致命的。我们将探索解码器估计此类攻击参数的基本机制。任意信道的代码。虽然高斯信道在某些条件下是最差的信道，但水印编码需要对各种攻击具有健壮性。我们的目标之一是开发既能抵抗高斯噪声攻击，又能抵抗去同步攻击、删除和其他攻击的编码和解码技术。应用于图像和视频水印。虽然信息论和编码理论为水印系统的设计提供了基本的指导原则，但在图像和视频水印等特定情况下，这些原则的应用面临着独特的挑战。我们将详细研究这两个应用：指纹打印和认证码。有几个与水印密切相关的信息隐藏问题是我们打算探索的。许多研究生对进入这样一个有吸引力的研究领域感兴趣，这个领域结合了广度和对基础的强烈重视，并具有实际意义。我们打算对这些学生进行培训，让他们在信息技术领域扮演领导角色。我们还计划让本科生参与进来，因为他们发现这门课是一次真正愉快的学习经历。

With the widespread dissemination of digital video, images, audio and other data on the Internet and other media, information protection and copyright protection have become areas of vital importance. These applications have generated an extraordinary level of interest in digital watermarking techniques in recent years. Whereas novel watermarking algorithms and novel ways to defeat them have been developed, fundamental principles of information theory have barely skimmed the surface of this field, and recent results by the PI have shown that existing schemes operate far below the ultimate achievable limits. We intend to develop our ideas for a theory of watermarking codes and to construct codes that approach capacity. We also plan to develop a closely related thrust of research on robust watermarking and authentication techniques for images and video. Our research will be guided by extensive body of knowledge (much of it developed in the last decade) developed in the context of modern communication systems on one hand, and image analysis on the other hand. Our plan is to explore the following topics:Codes for Gaussian channels. We have recently derived closed-form solutions for the hiding capacity of channels involving Gaussian sources and squared error distortion metrics. Our first goal in this research is to develop codes whose performance approaches capacity for such channels. This model, in addition to being useful in the context of practical watermarking applications, will shed light on the fundamental issues involved in constructing watermarking codes. Hence its implications go beyond the particular model studied.Estimation of Attack Channel Parameters. In blind watermarking applications, the decoder does not have access to the original data, and does not know the particular attack that may have been used to corrupt the data. Desynchronization attacks such as scaling, shifting, rotating or warping of image data can then be deadly. We will explore fundamental mechanisms for the decoder to estimate the parameters of such attacks.Codes for arbitrary channels. While Gaussian channels are the worst channels under certain conditions, watermarking codes need to be robust against a variety of attacks. One of our goals is to develop codes and decoding techniques that perform well not only against Gaussian noise attacks, but also against desynchronization attacks, erasures, and other attacks.Application to Image and Video Watermarking. While information theory and coding theory provide fundamental guiding principles to the design of watermarking systems, application of these principles presents unique challenges in specific situations such as image and video watermarking. These two applications will be investigated in detail.Fingerprinting and Authentication Codes. There are several information-hiding problems closely related to watermarking that we intend to explore. Many graduate students are interested in moving into such an attractive research area, which combines breadth and strong emphasis on fundamentals with practical relevance. We intend to train these students for leadership roles in information technology. We also plan to involve undergraduate students, as they find this subject to be a truly enjoyable learning experience.