Towards intelligent image retrieval

Research into techniques for the retrieval of images by semantic content is still in its infancy. This paper reviews recent trends in the field, distinguishing four separate lines of activity: automatic scene analysis, model-based and statistical approaches to object classification, and adaptive learning from user feedback. It compares the strengths and weaknesses of model-based and adaptive techniques, and argues that further advances in the field are likely to involve the increasing use of techniques from the field of artificial intelligence. (C) 2001 Pattern Recognition Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.