Starting from Maple 15, the useful ?plottools/getdata command is added. It tansforms a Maple plot to a Matrix. Unfortunately, the getdata command deals only with Maple plots. The question arises: "How to get a data from bmp, jpg, tiff, pcx, gif, png and wmf formats?" This is used in medicine and engineering. Such question was asked here http://www.mapleprimes.com/questions/97317-How-To-Get-Data-From-Plot . My answer to the question leaves much to be desired.   As far as I know it, such programs are created. I would like to present a free program Graph2Digit 0.7.1b Gr2Digit.zip created by Vyacheslav Plisko: http://plsoft.narod.ru/digitizer.html. His program digitalizes a plot, taking a prescribed step,  and edits the output as required. It results a txt file.
Here are some of its capabilities:
 - support of  bmp, jpg, tiff, pcx, gif, png and wmf formats;
 - scanner support;
 - clipboard support;
 - rotation of picture;
 - automatic mode of maximal brightness;
 - automatic mode of color;
 - manual mode;
 - edit mode;
 - hot keys.
Unfortunately, the interface is only in Russian. It would be very useful to implement it in  Maple.

PS. Not this progam, but to add  its capabilities to the getdata command.