Abstract

This paper discusses image semantics and the repercussions that its correct definition has on the design of image databases. I argue that meaning can only be defined in the context of a query, and can only be revealed in the context of the whole database. Meaning is an emergent property that derives from the user's exploration of the image space aided by the database. I define an interface and an interaction model that mix browsing and searching, and that allow users to explore the image space in search of meaningful images. 1 Introduction The Webster dictionary defines an interface as "the overlap where two theories or phenomena affect each other, or have links with each other." This definition is singularly on the mark when we are considering interfaces between users and visual information systems. In most computer applications, the interface is a link between two semiotic systems (the user's actions and the system 's functions) that share a common semantics. I will argue that th...

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