Digital Watermarking

Research vision

Our research addresses copyright protection and data security through watermarking for databases, geographic and spatial data, and text. We study embedding and extraction algorithms, robustness, watermarking protocols, and copyright protection mechanisms. Supported by NSFC and the National 863 Program, this work has contributed to database copyright protection, geographic information security, and trustworthy data sharing, and received awards from the Ministry of Education and Wuhan Municipal Government.

Project support

• NSFC Young Scientists Fund: Geographic Database Watermarking and Evaluation Methods
• Ministry of Education Research Fund for the Doctoral Program: Research and Implementation of Geographic Database Watermarking
• National 863 Program: Spatial Data Watermarking Technologies and Supporting Services

Awards

• Second-Class Science and Technology Progress Award, Wuhan Municipal Government, for Key Technologies and Applications of Geographic Data Copyright Protection (2015, as listed on the Chinese project page)
• Best System Demonstration Award, NDBC 2012, for the Luoyin Geographic Data Watermarking Tool

Research directions

Geospatial data watermarking

Robust watermarking: Imperceptible ownership marks that resist compression, cropping, geometric transformations, noise, and malicious attacks. We study adaptive embedding and recovery under attack for reliable detection and content tracking.

Fragile watermarking: Integrity verification and tamper detection, including precise localization, content authentication, and resistance to copy attacks.

Hybrid watermarking: Combining robust and fragile techniques to support copyright authentication, integrity verification, and tamper localization in a unified framework.

Zero-, reversible-, and multiple watermarking: Feature-based copyright authentication without modifying the original data, reversible information hiding, and coordinated embedding and detection of multiple watermarks. These approaches support copyright, integrity, identity, and tracking while preserving data fidelity and recoverability.

Watermarking protocols: Secure and fair interactions for watermark generation, embedding, detection, arbitration, and ownership confirmation. We combine watermarking with cryptographic protocols, authentication, and digital signatures to support trustworthy copyright management.

Database watermarking

We investigate embedding, detection, and recovery for structured data, particularly relational databases. Key challenges include precision, query usability, and updates. Our work addresses reversible embedding, resilience to modification, integrity verification, secure sharing, and protection of data assets.

Selected publications and patents

Bibliographic records below retain their original titles.

• Blind watermarking scheme for polylines in vector geo-spatial data. Multim. Tools Appl. 74(24): 11721-11739 (2015)
• Rights Protection for Trajectory Streams. DASFAA (2) 2014: 407-421
• Watermarking geographical data on spatial topological relations. Multim. Tools Appl. 57(1): 67-89 (2012)
• 一种基于可变步长量化调制的地理数据库水印方法.《计算机研究与发展》2011年10期
• A Fragile Watermarking Scheme for Modification Type Characterization in 2D Vector Maps. APWeb 2014: 129-140
• 一种可识别修改类型的矢量地图水印方法.[发明专利]CN104063840B, 公开日：2017-05-10
• 基于弱水印的地理数据篡改检验方法. 《小型微型计算机系统》2014年12期
• Multipurpose watermarking for vector map protection and authentication. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 2018
• Reversible Fragile Watermarking for Fine-Grained Tamper Localization in Spatial Data (ADC, 2017)
• A Zero-Watermarking Scheme for Vector Map Based on Feature Vertex Distance Ratio (J. Electr. Comput. Eng., 2015)
• 一种支持多版权的地理数据增量水印方法. 《计算机科学》 42(7): 22-27 (2015)
• 一种针对地理数据水印算法的评测方法. [发明专利]CN103164837B, 公开日：2015-12-23
• 基于数字水印的保护数据库版权的交易方法. [发明专利]CN101452553B, 公开日：2012-06-27
• 基于统计量特征的数据库指纹方法.《软件学报》2022年9期
• 基于数字水印的保护数据库版权的交易方法. [发明专利]CN101452553A, 公开日：2009-06-10
• 一种带有纠错机制的数据库水印技术.《计算机研究与发展》2006年z3期