Normally DIP is studied as a stand alone subject. Learners misunderstand the subject and associate it with compression, compression and compression. I personally feel it should be studied as “part of a whole.” Then only the real face of DIP can be perceived. My abstract model is an outcome of 'part of a whole' philosophy. As it lacks the academic rigour, model is not suited for scholarly publication. But model may be helpful to gain insights and dispel myths about DIP.
A to Z of digital image processing, for those of you that a a bit more tech savvy, you may want to review this article. That is if you are attempting to understand the Abstract model. Covering the DSLR concept, especially how light is captured.