# ESA: Annotation-Efficient Active Learning for Semantic Segmentation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.13491 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.13491/

## Key facts

- Cited by 15 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 19 of its 32 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 24 Aug 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 19 of 19)

- [Microsoft COCO: Common Objects in Context](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1405.0312/) (2014)
- [Fully Convolutional Networks for Semantic Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1411.4038/) (2014)
- [The Cityscapes Dataset for Semantic Urban Scene Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1604.01685/) (2016)
- [FCOS: Fully Convolutional One-Stage Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.01355/) (2019)
- [Playing for Data: Ground Truth from Computer Games](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.02192/) (2016)
- [Suggestive Annotation: A Deep Active Learning Framework for Biomedical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.04737/) (2017)
- [Revisiting Dilated Convolution: A Simple Approach for Weakly- and Semi- Supervised Semantic Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.04574/) (2018)
- [Contextual Diversity for Active Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.05723/) (2020)
- [SEEDS: Superpixels Extracted via Energy-Driven Sampling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1309.3848/) (2013)
- [Open-World Entity Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.14228/) (2021)
- [Efficient piecewise training of deep structured models for semantic segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1504.01013/) (2015)
- [Towards Fewer Annotations: Active Learning via Region Impurity and Prediction Uncertainty for Domain Adaptive Semantic Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.12940/) (2021)
- [Domain Adaptive Semantic Segmentation Using Weak Labels](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.15176/) (2020)
- [LabOR: Labeling Only if Required for Domain Adaptive Semantic Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.05570/) (2021)
- [BHSD: A 3D Multi-Class Brain Hemorrhage Segmentation Dataset](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.11298/) (2023)
- [SegReg: Segmenting OARs by Registering MR Images and CT Annotations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.06956/) (2023)
- [SegStitch: Multidimensional Transformer for Robust and Efficient Medical Imaging Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.00496/) (2024)
- [JointViT: Modeling Oxygen Saturation Levels with Joint Supervision on Long-Tailed OCTA](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.11525/) (2024)
- [MADAv2: Advanced Multi-Anchor Based Active Domain Adaptation Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.07354/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 15 of 15)

- [MedConv: Convolutions Beat Transformers on Long-Tailed Bone Density Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.00631/) (2025)
- [MSDet: Receptive Field Enhanced Multiscale Detection for Tiny Pulmonary Nodule](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.14028/) (2024)
- [MedDet: Generative Adversarial Distillation for Efficient Cervical Disc Herniation Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.00204/) (2024)
- [GAMED-Snake: Gradient-aware Adaptive Momentum Evolution Deep Snake Model for Multi-organ Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.12844/) (2025)
- [PathoHR: Breast Cancer Survival Prediction on High-Resolution Pathological Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.17970/) (2025)
- [ProjectedEx: Enhancing Generation in Explainable AI for Prostate Cancer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.01392/) (2025)
- [Medical Artificial Intelligence for Early Detection of Lung Cancer: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.14769/) (2024)
- [DOEI: Dual Optimization of Embedding Information for Attention-Enhanced Class Activation Maps](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.15885/) (2025)
- [SSS: Semi-Supervised SAM-2 with Efficient Prompting for Medical Imaging Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.08949/) (2025)
- [A2LC: Active and Automated Label Correction for Semantic Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.11599/) (2025)
- [A Novel Convolutional-Free Method for 3D Medical Imaging Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.05396/) (2025)
- [3D Medical Imaging Segmentation on Non-Contrast CT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.08361/) (2025)
- [SegTTA: Training-Free Test-Time Augmentation for Zero-Shot Medical Imaging Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.17451/) (2026)
- [iSAGE: A Human-in-the-Loop Framework for Remote Sensing Semantic Segmentation via Sparse Point Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.10136/) (2026)
- [Speeding up the annotation process in semantic segmentation industrial applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.19934/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Active learning enhances annotation efficiency by selecting the most revealing samples for labeling, thereby reducing reliance on extensive human input. Previous methods in semantic segmentation have centered on individual pixels or small areas, neglecting the rich patterns in natural images and the power of advanced pre-trained models. To address these challenges, we propose three key contributions: Firstly, we introduce Entity-Superpixel Annotation (ESA), an innovative and efficient active learning strategy which utilizes a class-agnostic mask proposal network coupled with super-pixel grouping to capture local structural cues. Additionally, our method selects a subset of entities within each image of the target domain, prioritizing superpixels with high entropy to ensure comprehensive representation. Simultaneously, it focuses on a limited number of key entities, thereby optimizing for efficiency. By utilizing an annotator-friendly design that capitalizes on the inherent structure of images, our approach significantly outperforms existing pixel-based methods, achieving superior results with minimal queries, specifically reducing click cost by 98% and enhancing performance by 1.71%. For instance, our technique requires a mere 40 clicks for annotation, a stark contrast to the 5000 clicks demanded by conventional methods.