A Linear-Algebraic Technique with an Application in Semantic Image Retrieval

This paper presents a novel technique for learning the underlying structure that links visual observations with semantics. The technique, inspired by a text-retrieval technique known as cross-language latent semantic indexing uses linear algebra to learn the semantic structure linking image features and keywords from a training set of annotated images. This structure can then be applied to unannotated images, thus providing the ability to search the unannotated images based on keyword. This factorisation approach is shown to perform well, even when using only simple global image features

Automatic Annotation of Images from the Practitioner Perspective

This paper describes an ongoing project which seeks to contribute to a wider understanding of the realities of bridging the semantic gap in visual image retrieval. A comprehensive survey of the means by which real image retrieval transactions are realised is being undertaken. An image taxonomy has been developed, in order to provide a framework within which account may be taken of the plurality of image types, user needs and forms of textual metadata. Significant limitations exhibited by current automatic annotation techniques are discussed, and a possible way forward using ontologically supported automatic content annotation is briefly considered as a potential means of mitigating these limitations