15.3 - Multimedia Document Searches

• Searches for databases and textual documents are good, but multimedia searches are in a primitive stage
• Current multimedia searches require parallel database or document search
• Search by date, text captions, or media is possible
• Search by content such as a "video on sunsets" is next to impossible
• Some search engines have elaborate textual commands, but the move is towards a graphical environment
• Photo Search:
• Finding photos with images such as the Statue of Liberty is a challenge
• Query-by-Image-Content (QBIC)
• Search by profile (shape of lady), distinctive features (torch), colors (green copper)
• Use simple drawing tools to build templates or profiles to search with
• More success is attainable by searching restricted collections
• Search a vase collection
• Find a vase with a long neck by drawing a profile of it
• Critical searches such as fingerprint matching requires a minimum of 20 distinct features
• Map Search
• On-line maps are plentiful
• Current search method is latitude/longitude
• Today's maps are more structured and allow:
• City, state, and site searches
• Flight information searches
• Weather information searches
• Example: www.mapquest.com
• Design/Diagram Searches
• Allows searches of diagrams, blueprints, newspapers, etc.
• You could search for a red circle in a blue square or a piston in an engine
• Sound Search
• Possible to hum a few notes to find songs
• Search for phone conversations may be possible in future on speaker independent basis
• Video Search
• Find frames of a video and edit
• Store video info in textual documents for searching
• Animation Search
• Possible to search for specific animations like a spinning globe
• Search for moving text on a black background