An intelligent content-based image retvieval system based oncolor, shape and spatial relations

Content-based multimedia information retrieval is an interesting but difficult area of research. Current approaches include the use of color, texture, and shape information. In this paper, we present a hybrid approach, which incorporates color, shape and spatial relations among objects in a picture, and has been used to retrieve images from nearly 5000 pictures. A revised color scheme and its indexing technique are used to improve the efficiency of retrieval, based on our clustering method and color sensation. A seed filling-like mechanism is used to extract shape and spatial relations from objects. A qualitative approach is applied to similarity comparison of spatial differences. The system is also implemented with a friendly GUI, which allows sketch images as well as relevance feedback to improve the accuracy of retrieval. Our experience shows that the system is able to retrieve image information efficiently based on the proposed approach.