The emergence of multimedia, the availability of large digital archives, and the rapid growth of the World Wide Web (WWW) have recently attracted research efforts in providing tools for effective retrieval of image data based on their content (content-based image retrieval, CBIR). The relevance of CBIR for many applications, ranging from art galleries and museum archives to pictures and photographs, medical and geographic databases, criminal investigations, intellectual properties and trademarks, and fashion and interior design, make this research field one of the fastest growing in information technology. . | Image Databases Search and Retrieval of Digital Imagery Edited by Vittorio Castelli Lawrence D. Bergman Copyright 2002 John Wiley Sons Inc. ISBNs 0-471-32116-8 Hardback 0-471-22463-4 Electronic 2 Visible Image Retrieval CARLO COLOMBO and ALBERTO DEL BIMBO University di Firenze Firenze Italy INTRODUCTION The emergence of multimedia the availability of large digital archives and the rapid growth of the World Wide Web WWW have recently attracted research efforts in providing tools for effective retrieval of image data based on their content content-based image retrieval CBIR . The relevance of CBIR for many applications ranging from art galleries and museum archives to pictures and photographs medical and geographic databases criminal investigations intellectual properties and trademarks and fashion and interior design make this research field one of the fastest growing in information technology. Yet after a decade of intensive research CBIR technologies except perhaps for very specialized areas such as crime prevention medical diagnosis or fashion design have had a limited impact on real-world applications. For instance recent attempts to enhance text-based search engines on the WWW with CBIR options highlight both an increasing interest in the use of digital imagery and the current limitations of general-purpose image search facilities. This chapter reviews applications and research themes in visible image retrieval VisIR that is retrieval by content of heterogeneous collections of single images generated with visible spectrum technologies. It is generally agreed that a key design challenge in the field is how to reduce the semantic gap between user expectation and system support especially in nonprofessional applications. Recently the interest in sophisticated image analysis and recognition techniques as a way to enhance the built-in intelligence of systems has been greatly reduced in favor of new models of human perception and advanced human-computer .
