Visual Content Identification and Search

T he past few years have witnessed rapid development and commercialization of visual content identification and search technologies. By now, major Hollywood movie studios and TV networks have adopted video content identification technology to identify, track, and manage their content at the Internet scale. Big Internet search engines, such as Google and Bing, have added content-based visualsimilarity search to supplement traditional keyword-based queries. Meanwhile, several start-up companies have brought to market some innovative products in this area. For example, Like.com, which was acquired by Google, developed a visual search tool that allows users to search for fashion products, such as women’s handbags and shoes, by their visual similarities. Along with technology development and commercialization, standardization activities related to visual content identification and search have crystallized. In 2007, the Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG) under ISO/IEC started a work item known as Visual Signature Tools. Eventually, the standardization work produced two technical specifications, Image Signature Tools and Video Signature Tools, to extend the MPEG-7 standard for multimedia content description. More recently in 2010, MPEG started a new work item called Compact Descriptor for Visual Search that is still under development. Additionally, in 2010, the Open Mobile Alliance completed a new specification called Secure Content Identification Mechanism. Also in 2010, we organized the first Workshop on Visual Content Identification and Search (VCIDS) at the IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo (ICME) 2010 in Singapore. The workshop brought together researchers and practitioners in both industry and academia to discuss the latest advances in research, standardization, and emerging applications for visual content identification and search. It was clear that there is a great deal of interest in this topic and a critical mass of researchers and practitioners from the multimedia research communities. A decision was made to publish a Special Issue on Visual Content Identification and Search in IEEE MultiMedia magazine. Now, as this special issue is about to go to print, the Second Workshop on Visual Content Identification and Search will take place at ICME 2011 in Barcelona, Spain.