Overview
EN ISO 16610-85:2013 - "Geometrical product specifications (GPS) - Filtration - Part 85: Morphological areal filters: Segmentation" defines terminology and concepts for areal morphological segmentation of continuous surfaces. It formalizes how surface regions (hills, dales, peaks, pits, saddle points, course/ridge lines) are identified and partitioned, and it specifies two principal methods: watershed segmentation and Wolf pruning. This part of the ISO 16610 series replaces the segmentation annex in ISO 25178-2 and is intended for surface texture and filtration applications within the GPS framework.
Key topics
- Areal segmentation concepts and terminology
- Definitions of topographic features: peak, pit, Maxwellian hill/dale, saddle, contour line, etc.
- Concepts of event and segmentation function (splitting events into significant and insignificant sets).
- Segmentation methods
- Watershed segmentation: conceptual model using the “filling dales with water” metaphor to locate saddles where regions connect.
- Wolf pruning method: strategy to prune or merge small/insignificant features after initial watershed segmentation.
- Scope and assumptions
- Assumes a continuous surface representation (concepts apply to discretized data after appropriate triangulation).
- Includes guidance on basic segmentation, detailed watershed implementation, and examples/annexes for practical interpretation.
- Normative references
Applications
EN ISO 16610-85 is practical for professionals and systems that require robust areal surface partitioning and feature extraction, including:
- Quality control and surface inspection in manufacturing (optics, bearings, seals, machined parts)
- Surface metrology and surface texture characterization (areal measurements)
- Development of metrology software and algorithms (implementing morphological areal filters, watershed and pruning algorithms)
- Research in tribology, materials science, microscopy and additive manufacturing where surface topography segmentation is required
Who should use it
- Metrologists and standards engineers specifying GPS-based surface-analysis procedures
- Developers of surface measurement instruments and analysis software
- R&D and quality engineers performing surface characterization and feature-based filtering
Related standards
- ISO 16610 series (filtration methods)
- ISO 16610-1 (basic terminology for filtration)
- ISO 25178 series (areal surface texture terms and parameters)
EN ISO 16610-85 provides a standardized, interoperable foundation for areal morphological segmentation-helpful whenever reliable partitioning of surface topography into meaningful features is required for measurement, analysis, or specification.
