Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow, this is cool. It looks like an API capable of things that Vector Magic[1] can do, but FOSS. Vector Magic has been excellent for some occasions where you have a rasterized clipart, but need it as a vector. [1] https://vectormagic.com/
Inkscape does have such a feature too. While importing a bitmap image, you can specifically "convert" it to vector graphic. Works fairly well.
Inkscape calls Potrace, but you can you use Potrace directly from the command line, too.