A semantic data model for embedded image information

Historically, database systems have provided convenient methods for obtaining specific information from a large repository of data. All the information was readily available and the mapping between the data and its semantics was straightforward. However, the increasing availability of multimedia data sources introduces new data forms for which the mapping between data and its semantics is not clear. In particular non-alphanumeric data such as images, videos, graphs, charts, etc. contain large amounts of information that are difficult to quantify in a complete and concise fashion. Moreover, the semantic information contained in such data is often application specific. This paper addresses the problem of embedded semantic information. The basic idea is the integration of a data processing component into data modeling systems to allow additional (possibly application dependent) information to be extracted. This paper proposes a new object-oriented data modeling approach, shows how such a design can be applied to a pictorial information system, and describes a prototype system with an example application.