Chabot: retrieval from a relational database of images

Abstract

Selecting from a large, expanding collection of images requires carefully chosen search criteria. We present an approach that integrates a relational database retrieval system with a color analysis technique. The Chabot project was initiated at our university to study storage and retrieval of a vast collection of digitized images. These images are from the State of California Department of Water Resources. The goal was to integrate a relational database retrieval system with content analysis techniques that would give our querying system a better method for handling images. Our simple color analysis method, if used in conjunction with other search criteria, improves our ability to retrieve images efficiently. The best result is obtained when text-based search criteria are combined with content-based criteria and when a coarse granularity is used for content analysis.