Digital Libraries: Content-Based Retrieval

One important area of interest in Computer Imaging is the storage and efficient retrieval of images in a database or "digital library". How can we retrieve images? How can we describe them? How can we store so many images?

 

Content-Based Retrieval

• Describe data by its contents.
• Can be used for digital text, sound, music, image, video, e
• Works like a search or a browsing tool -- analogous to the current web search
• Traditional keyword indexing is fast and easy but, has limitations:
  • How do you say find me an image of a forrest?
  • Keywords are often inaccurate.

Current possibilites to search based on:

• Histogram based measures (color or intensity).
• Edge-feature information.
• Motion Queues
• Texture measures.
• Features merged with keywords.
• Knowledge based (geometric models, fiducials).

Other issues:

• Capitalize upone multiresolution approaches
• Work in the compressed domain to save time.

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Real Systems

1. IBM's QBIC System (Querry By Image Content)
2. Virage System: Visual Information Retrieval Imaging System

 

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