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An adaptive technique for content-based image retrieval

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Abstract

We discuss an adaptive approach towards Content-Based Image Retrieval. It is based on the Ostensive Model of developing information needs—a special kind of relevance feedback model that learns from implicit user feedback and adds a temporal notion to relevance. The ostensive approach supports content-assisted browsing through visualising the interaction by adding user-selected images to a browsing path, which ends with a set of system recommendations. The suggestions are based on an adaptive query learning scheme, in which the query is learnt from previously selected images. Our approach is an adaptation of the original Ostensive Model based on textual features only, to include content-based features to characterise images. In the proposed scheme textual and colour features are combined using the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence combination. Results from a user-centred, work-task oriented evaluation show that the ostensive interface is preferred over a traditional interface with manual query facilities. This is due to its ability to adapt to the user's need, its intuitiveness and the fluid way in which it operates. Studying and comparing the nature of the underlying information need, it emerges that our approach elicits changes in the user's need based on the interaction, and is successful in adapting the retrieval to match the changes. In addition, a preliminary study of the retrieval performance of the ostensive relevance feedback scheme shows that it can outperform a standard relevance feedback strategy in terms of image recall in category search.

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Abbreviations

CBIR:

Content-based Image Retrieval

RF:

Relevance Feedback

OM:

Ostensive Model

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computing Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8RZ, UK

    Jana Urban, Joemon M. Jose & Cornelis J. van Rijsbergen

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  1. Jana Urban
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  2. Joemon M. Jose
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  3. Cornelis J. van Rijsbergen
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Correspondence to Jana Urban.

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Urban, J., Jose, J.M. & van Rijsbergen, C.J. An adaptive technique for content-based image retrieval. Multimed Tools Appl 31, 1–28 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-006-0035-1

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