Administrator From Sweden, joined May 1999, 3251 posts. Posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 21 hours ago) and read 10687 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW FOUNDER
Hello all,
I am very happy to announce a new feature on Airliners.net called "View similar photos". It's based on a research project at Penn State University in the US. It uses the images themselves as base for a search instead of using keywords and photo related text information. You will note new "View similar photos" links (currently in yellow) below each entry in our database. Simply click on that link and a new window will open showing photos that are "Similar" to your query image.
I have been very enthusiastic about the possibilities of adding a Content Based Image Retrieval system (CBIR) to Airliners.net and have been experimenting with it for some time. I initially built one myself based on PHP and MySQL, using nothing but pixel-to-pixel comparisons of photos together with image histograms. However, the results were quite poor and I after reading lots of papers on the issue I can to realize the CBIR is quite a bit more complex than I initially thought.
I didn't give up though and got in contact with a researcher at PSU who is quite famous in the field of CBIR due to the image similarity database "SIMPLICity" he and a group of other scientists created. He let me use their code (and was quite enthusiastic about it - it's never been applied to such a huge database before) and I've spent the last two weeks making it work on Airliners.net.
Please note that this is cutting edge science and work in progress. Some similarity searches will produce great results while other might not. It is very hard to write programs to make the computer understand what we mean by "Similar". The system uses different characteristics in the photos like colors, contrast, edges etc to compare with other photos. You can read the paper on the similarity database we use here: http://www-db.stanford.edu/~wangz/project/imsearch/SIMPLIcity/TPAMI/
Try it out and let me know what you think!
Thank you,
Johan
Working on the site from morning 'till night that's livin' alright
GOT From Sweden, joined Dec 2000, 1886 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 21 hours ago) and read 10666 times:
Hi Johan!
Very interesting concept and it sounds very promising for the future. The few searches I have tried so far have yielded some great results, while other have been more disappointing. Currently, 44 pictures are displayed (excluding the query image). Is it possible to display more pictures? And while I'm at it, how are these 44 pictures selected? I suppose a search of the whole database is a time consuming task (unless all the parameters are saved in a separate database?). Are the pictures displayed in order of similarity or just randomly?
Would it in a later phase be possible to combine a 'similarity' search with a normal text search? If I for example find a contrail of a BA 747 I and would like to find contrails of LH A340, I would like to search for similar pictures, A340 and Lufthansa.
Finally, I think that the yellow text is a little too eye-catching. A little bit more pale would make it in my opinion.
Great work Johan!
/Robert
Just like birdwatching - without having to be so damned quiet!
It gave lots of Dusk shots, and even, some sunset wingviews...
IMHO I'd add the possibility of seeing the photos listed by normally, with the number, date... also with the possibility to sort them by newer, older ...etc just for better comparing them.
Administrator From Sweden, joined May 1999, 3251 posts. Reply 5, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 21 hours ago) and read 10648 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW LEAD DEVELOPER
Glad to hear you like it Markus!
Quoting GOT (Reply 2): Is it possible to display more pictures?
It is possible but the results are ordered by similarity - those at the top are (according to the algorithms used) more similar to the query image than those at the bottom. 45 photos is a fair starting number, we might be able to increase that in the future if the search algorithm improves.
Quoting GOT (Reply 2): And while I'm at it, how are these 44 pictures selected? I suppose a search of the whole database is a time consuming task (unless all the parameters are saved in a separate database?)
All parameters are saved in a binary database so it's rather quick. The similarity search engine still has to search through all 780,000 entries on each search and that's rather time-consuming. I have added a cache to the system so that searches already made are saved for 48 hours. If someone clicks "View similar photos" for a photo that's already been cached, the results will show up almost instantly. Otherwise it will take up to 10 seconds.
Quoting GOT (Reply 2): Would it in a later phase be possible to combine a 'similarity' search with a normal text search?
Yes, that would be interesting.
Quoting GOT (Reply 2): Finally, I think that the yellow text is a little too eye-catching.
It's yellow because it's new - it's meant to catch the eyes of visitors. it will be off-white like all other links after two weeks or so.
Regards,
Johan
Working on the site from morning 'till night that's livin' alright
and kept clicking on "view similar" within the results. It came up with page after page of photos of out of the ordinary angles I would not necessarily have seen otherwise.
Kukkudrill From Malta, joined Dec 2004, 962 posts, RR: 3 Reply 9, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 10104 times:
Had a quick trial and the results I got looked pretty random to be honest unless there was a particularly strong feature about the starting image (eg an all red aircraft). But I'm sure it's much too early to come to a conclusive judgement about this feature.
Just a nit-pick: in the page that opens up with the search results, the view large link under each photo actually opens the medium-sized version. Incidentally, is the view medium feature on its way out? Wouldn't be a serious loss because I suspect that most people prefer to see the large version anyway.
An interesting experiment. Keep up the great work with the site.
Charles
DIJKKIJK From French Southern Territories, joined Jul 2003, 1504 posts, RR: 5 Reply 10, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 10024 times:
Wonderful ! Johan
Excellent work, mate!
Horizontal, this was Lady Chatterley's position in society - Spike Milligan
Aviopic From Netherlands, joined Mar 2004, 2194 posts, RR: 34 Reply 11, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 9622 times:
Can't say i am impressed with the results and i expected something else with "similar".
If for example i am looking at a chopper and click on "similar" i get everything but choppers, instead i get more or less similar images in terms of lights conditions, angles impressive........ but what's the point ?
I am not against an option like this but i do miss the "medium view" option.
Bio15 From Colombia, joined Mar 2001, 1047 posts, RR: 7 Reply 13, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 9267 times:
It's a neat new feature Johan, thanks!
All the pictures where I have tried the feature return similar results color-wise, which I think is the point. Sometimes the same categories are not obtained but the same color mood always seems to show up, which is something that couldn't be done before. For similar category search all the previous search engine features were sufficient, so this adds up a "feel" sort of search, which I think is quite outstanding.
I noticed that the [view large] link on the bottom opens the Medium sized version, other than that it seems to work just great. Can this links below the photo be applied to the "photos only" display mode? I think that most of the times the pictures are so great in detail that one wants to open them the first time in Large version, but in the "photos only" mode clicking on the photo brings up the Medium version.
Again, congratulations, it's always cool stuff you come up with every time.
FlyingNanook From United States, joined Jan 2004, 829 posts, RR: 13 Reply 14, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 9223 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW CUSTOMER SERVICE & SUPPORT
I love this feature! I like shots taken from a certain angle and this yields lots of shots that I like and would never find on my own. This is by far one of the niftiest things I've seen in a while.
Administrator From Sweden, joined May 1999, 3251 posts. Reply 17, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 8806 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW LEAD DEVELOPER
Glad you guys like it!
Quoting Kukkudrill (Reply 9): link under each photo actually opens the medium-sized version
Fixed that, thanks.
Quoting Kukkudrill (Reply 9): Incidentally, is the view medium feature on its way out?
No, clicking on the thumbnail will open the middle version.
Quoting Aviopic (Reply 11): If for example i am looking at a chopper and click on "similar" i get everything but choppers
If you want choppers, use the chopper category. As I tried to explain in the first post, this function will not find aircraft or airlines of a certain type, it will find images that are similar in color and shape.
This feature is an addition to the text based search, it's not meant to replace it. You will probably still use the text based search most of the time but will hopefully come to appreciate this feature now and then when the traditional search doesn't give you what you want.
Quoting GOT (Reply 2): Currently, 44 pictures are displayed (excluding the query image). Is it possible to display more pictures?
I have now extended the search results for similarity searches to five pages of 45 hits each. So you can view up to 225 similarity hits which I hope is enough for most.
Regards,
Johan
Working on the site from morning 'till night that's livin' alright
JumboJim747 From Australia, joined Oct 2004, 2360 posts, RR: 45 Reply 18, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 8746 times:
Quoting AeroWesty (Reply 7): and kept clicking on "view similar" within the results. It came up with page after page of photos of out of the ordinary angles I would not necessarily have seen otherwise.
Pilottim747 From United States, joined Jul 2001, 1606 posts, RR: 5 Reply 20, posted (3 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 8494 times:
Quoting Rendezvous (Reply 19): I personally don't see how this feature improves airliners.net. It just seems another link, adding to the clutter on the photos pages.
I'd agree. It adds clutter and confusion.
pilottim747
Aviation Photographers & Enthusiasts--Coordinate your life.
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