[[File:Object based image analysis.jpg|thumb|Image segmentation during the
object base image analysis]]
'''Object-Basedbased Imageimage Analysisanalysis''' (OBIA) employs two main processes, segmentation and classification. Traditional image segmentation is on a per-pixel basis. However, OBIA groups pixels into homogeneous objects. These objects can have different shapes and scale. Objects also have statistics associated with them which can be used to classify objects. Statistics can include geometry, context and texture of image objects. The analyst defines statistics in the classification process to generate for example [[land cover]].
{{anchor|GEOBIA}}When applied to [[earth imagesimage]]s, OBIA is known as ''Geographicgeographic Objectobject-Basedbased Imageimage Analysisanalysis'' (GEOBIA), defined as "a sub-discipline of [[geoinformation]] science]] devoted to (...) partitioning [[remote sensing]] (RS) imagery into meaningful image-objects, and assessing their characteristics through spatial, spectral and temporal scale".<ref>G.J. Hay & G. Castilla: ''Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA): A new name for a new discipline.'' In: T. Blaschke, S. Lang & G. Hay (eds.): Object-Based Image Analysis – Spatial Concepts for Knowledge-Driven Remote Sensing Applications. Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography, 18. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany: 75-89 (2008)</ref><ref name="Blaschke Hay Kelly Lang 2014 pp. 180–191">{{cite journal | last1=Blaschke | first1=Thomas | last2=Hay | first2=Geoffrey J. | last3=Kelly | first3=Maggi | last4=Lang | first4=Stefan | last5=Hofmann | first5=Peter | last6=Addink | first6=Elisabeth | last7=Queiroz Feitosa | first7=Raul | last8=van der Meer | first8=Freek | last9=van der Werff | first9=Harald | last10=van Coillie | first10=Frieke | last11=Tiede | first11=Dirk | title=Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis – Towards a new paradigm | journal=ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=87 | year=2014 | issue=100 | issn=0924-2716 | doi=10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2013.09.014 | pages=180–191| pmid=24623958 | pmc=3945831 | bibcode=2014JPRS...87..180B | doi-access=free }}</ref>
The international GEOBIA conference has been held biannually since 2006.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/geobia| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131212125952/http://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/special_issues/geobia| archive-date = 2013-12-12| title = Remote Sensing {{!}} Special Issue: Advances in Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA)}} </ref>
