GAAOA-Lévy: a hybrid metaheuristic for optimized multilevel thresholding in image segmentation

Abstract Image segmentation is a critical task in image processing with applications in various domains, including industry and medicine. However, multilevel thresholding, a widely used segmentation technique, suffers from high computational complexity due to the exhaustive search for optimal thresh...

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Main Authors: Eman Mahmoud, Salem Alkhalaf, Tomonobu Senjyu, Masahiro Furukakoi, Ashraf Hemeida, Ghada Abozaid
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12142-z
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author Eman Mahmoud
Salem Alkhalaf
Tomonobu Senjyu
Masahiro Furukakoi
Ashraf Hemeida
Ghada Abozaid
author_facet Eman Mahmoud
Salem Alkhalaf
Tomonobu Senjyu
Masahiro Furukakoi
Ashraf Hemeida
Ghada Abozaid
author_sort Eman Mahmoud
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Image segmentation is a critical task in image processing with applications in various domains, including industry and medicine. However, multilevel thresholding, a widely used segmentation technique, suffers from high computational complexity due to the exhaustive search for optimal thresholds. This paper addresses this challenge by proposing a hybrid Genetic Algorithm-Archimedes Optimization Algorithm (GAAOA), further enhanced with a Lévy flight function (GAAOA-Lévy), to improve efficiency and accuracy in multilevel thresholding. The integration of GA’s crossover mechanism strengthens local search capabilities, leading to optimal segmentation with fewer iterations. The proposed algorithm is evaluated using standard benchmark images and compared against well-known optimization techniques. Experimental results demonstrate that GAAOA-Lévy outperforms existing methods in terms of Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), computational efficiency, and convergence speed, particularly excelling in three-level thresholding while reducing computational costs for higher thresholds.
format Article
id doaj-art-3a0393559ced4fa4888a44bfa3bac12b
institution Kabale University
issn 2045-2322
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Scientific Reports
spelling doaj-art-3a0393559ced4fa4888a44bfa3bac12b2025-08-20T03:45:49ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115112410.1038/s41598-025-12142-zGAAOA-Lévy: a hybrid metaheuristic for optimized multilevel thresholding in image segmentationEman Mahmoud0Salem Alkhalaf1Tomonobu Senjyu2Masahiro Furukakoi3Ashraf Hemeida4Ghada Abozaid5Faculty of Science, Aswan UniversityDepartment of Computer Engineering, College of Computer, Qassim UniversityDepartment of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of the RyukyusFaculty of EngineeringFaculty of Energy Engineering, Aswan UniversityFaculty of Engineering, Aswan UniversityAbstract Image segmentation is a critical task in image processing with applications in various domains, including industry and medicine. However, multilevel thresholding, a widely used segmentation technique, suffers from high computational complexity due to the exhaustive search for optimal thresholds. This paper addresses this challenge by proposing a hybrid Genetic Algorithm-Archimedes Optimization Algorithm (GAAOA), further enhanced with a Lévy flight function (GAAOA-Lévy), to improve efficiency and accuracy in multilevel thresholding. The integration of GA’s crossover mechanism strengthens local search capabilities, leading to optimal segmentation with fewer iterations. The proposed algorithm is evaluated using standard benchmark images and compared against well-known optimization techniques. Experimental results demonstrate that GAAOA-Lévy outperforms existing methods in terms of Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), computational efficiency, and convergence speed, particularly excelling in three-level thresholding while reducing computational costs for higher thresholds.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12142-zImage segmentationGenetic algorithm (GA)Archimedes optimization algorithm (AOA)Multilevel thresholding
spellingShingle Eman Mahmoud
Salem Alkhalaf
Tomonobu Senjyu
Masahiro Furukakoi
Ashraf Hemeida
Ghada Abozaid
GAAOA-Lévy: a hybrid metaheuristic for optimized multilevel thresholding in image segmentation
Scientific Reports
Image segmentation
Genetic algorithm (GA)
Archimedes optimization algorithm (AOA)
Multilevel thresholding
title GAAOA-Lévy: a hybrid metaheuristic for optimized multilevel thresholding in image segmentation
title_full GAAOA-Lévy: a hybrid metaheuristic for optimized multilevel thresholding in image segmentation
title_fullStr GAAOA-Lévy: a hybrid metaheuristic for optimized multilevel thresholding in image segmentation
title_full_unstemmed GAAOA-Lévy: a hybrid metaheuristic for optimized multilevel thresholding in image segmentation
title_short GAAOA-Lévy: a hybrid metaheuristic for optimized multilevel thresholding in image segmentation
title_sort gaaoa levy a hybrid metaheuristic for optimized multilevel thresholding in image segmentation
topic Image segmentation
Genetic algorithm (GA)
Archimedes optimization algorithm (AOA)
Multilevel thresholding
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12142-z
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