Much effort has been expended for devising
solutions to analyse edges as a basis for image
understanding. This paper presents image processing and
analysis tools to ensure a robust operation of such edgebased
algorithms. Specifically, a systematic paradigm to
branching analysis and a curve segmentation technique
based on chain codes are proposed. Several curve
segmentation approaches are available in the literature to
break edges into primitives for edge analysis. The particular
solution devised is simple and very computationally
efficient. The efficacy of the set of tools (branching
analysis and curve segmentation) in the applications
presented show that they can be effectively incorporated in
low-level and intermediate level edge processing.