Estimation of Distances and Variances in Bookstein's Landmark Model

Planar random figures can be described by series of landmarks. Bookstein's model assumes that the landmarks result from independent individual fluctuations around fixed fictive landmark centres. The aim of this paper is to estimate the distances between the centers and the variances of fluctuations around them. Furthermore, two new shape variable estimators are suggested and compared with an estimator of Bookstein.