Editorial

There are a number of large computer vision research groups around the world where the group is more than just a collection of individual researchers. Individuals contribute original research ideas and techniques, but in many of these groups there is a group philosophy directing the choice of problems studied, and an overall grand scheme of how the pieces of research are to fit together. Often it is difficult for outsiders to appreciate this cohesiveness simply by seeing scattered papers by different members of the group in different journals. As one of the unique features, we would like the International Journal of Computer Vision to provide a forum where research of selected groups can be showcased. This is the first issue devoted to such a presentation. It features the vision group at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Led by Edward Riseman and Allen Hansen, the group has a unique, strong, and long record of active vision research. The group leaders submitted to the Journal a collection of papers which spanned their group's research. We subjected these papers to the normal rigorous review process and eventually selected the four papers that comprise this issue. Additionally, we asked Riseman and Hansen to prepare an overview of the themes and progress of vision research of their group. All together, we believe that this special issue provides a coherent view of the philosophy, approaches, and achievements of the vision group at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. More such special issues are in various stages of planning, review, and production. We encourage leaders of other large groups to contact us to discuss the possibilities for a special issue devoted to their research.