Applications of Compression to Content Based Image Retrieval and Object Recognition

We present compression related methods that can be used within a larger system referred to as a passive assistant. The system receives information from a mobile device, as well as information from an image database such as Google Street View, and employs image processing to provide useful information about a local urban environment to a visually impaired user. The first stage acquires and computes accurate location information, the second stage performs texture and color analysis of a scene, and the third stage provides specific object recognition and navigation information.