Symbolic description and visual querying of image sequences using spatio-temporal logic

The emergence of advanced multimedia applications is emphasizing the relevance of retrieval by contents within databases of images and image sequences. Matching the inherent visuality of the information stored in such databases, visual specification by example provides an effective and natural way to express content-oriented queries. To support this querying approach, the system must be able to interpret example scenes reproducing the contents of images and sequences to be retrieved, and to match them against the actual contents of the database. In the accomplishment of this task, to avoid a direct access to raw image data, the system must be provided with an appropriate description language supporting the representation of the contents of pictorial data. An original language for the symbolic representation of the contents of image sequences is presented. This language, referred to as spatio-temporal logic, comprises a framework for the qualitative representation of the contents of image sequences, which allows for treatment and operation of content structures at a higher level than pixels or image features. Organization and operation principles of a prototype system exploiting spatio-temporal logic to support querying by example through visual iconic interaction are expounded