The converting of a spherical image into a rectangular image is known as what?

The process of converting a spherical image into a rectangular image is known as dewarping. Dewarping involves the transformation of the 360-degree spherical view into a flat, rectangular representation, allowing for easier viewing and analysis in standard display formats. This technique is essential in applications like panoramic photography and video streaming, where users need to manipulate and explore wide-angle images that were originally captured in a spherical format.

In the context of this process, dewarping corrects the distortion inherent in the spherical image to create a more conventional perspective. This is particularly important in video surveillance and virtual tours, where viewing the scene accurately is necessary for effective interpretation and response.

Mapping, while related to various transformations in image processing, does not specifically refer to the conversion of a spherical image. Rectification is typically associated with correcting geometric distortions but is not the preferred term for transforming spherical images into rectangular formats. Projection, in a broader sense, refers to the method of displaying a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface but does not specifically address the nuances of converting spherical imagery to a rectilinear representation.