Similarity-based ranking and query processing in multimedia databases

Since media-based evaluation yields similarity values, results to a multimedia database query, Q(Y₁,…,Y_n), is defined as an ordered list S_Q of n-tuples of the form X₁,…,X_n. The query Q itself is composed of a set of fuzzy and crisp predicates, constants, variables, and conjunction, disjunction, and negation operators. Since many multimedia applications require partial matches, S_Q includes results which do not satisfy all predicates. Due to the ranking and partial match requirements, traditional query processing techniques do not apply to multimedia databases. In this paper, we first focus on the problem of “given a multimedia query which consists of multiple fuzzy and crisp predicates, providing the user with a meaningful final ranking”. More specifically, we study the problem of merging similarity values in queries with multiple fuzzy predicates. We describe the essential multimedia retrieval semantics, compare these with the known approaches, and propose a semantics which captures the requirements of multimedia retrieval problem. We then build on these results in answering the related problem of “given a multimedia query which consists of multiple fuzzy and crisp predicates, finding an efficient way to process the query.” We develop an algorithm to efficiently process queries with unordered fuzzy predicates (sub-queries). Although this algorithm can work with different fuzzy semantics, it benefits from the statistical properties of the semantics proposed in this paper. We also present experimental results for evaluating the proposed algorithm in terms of quality of results and search space reduction.     

On Similarity Measures for Multimedia Database Applications

A multimedia database query consists of a set of fuzzy and boolean (or crisp) predicates, constants, variables, and conjunction, disjunction, and negation operators. The fuzzy predicates are evaluated based on different media criteria, such as color, shape, layout, keyword. Since media-based evaluation yields similarity values, results to such a query is defined as an ordered set. Since many multimedia applications require partial matches, query results also include tuples which do not satisfy all predicates. Hence, any fuzzy semantics which extends the boolean semantics of conjunction in a straight forward manner may not be desirable for multimedia databases. In this paper, we focus on the problem of ‘given a multimedia query which consists of multiple fuzzy and crisp predicates, how to provide the user with a meaningful overall ranking.’ More specifically, we study the problem of merging similarity values in queries with multiple fuzzy predicates. We describe the essential multimedia retrieval semantics, compare these with the known approaches, and propose a semantics which captures the retrieval requirements in multimedia databases. Received 13 August 1999 / Revised 13 May 2000 / Accepted in revised form 26 July 2000     

Supporting web query expansion efficiently using multi-granularity indexing and query processing

The problem of word mismatch in information retrieval (IR) occurs because users often use different words to describe concepts in their queries than authors use to describe the same concepts in their documents. Query expansion is used to deal with the mismatch between author and user vocabularies. To support query expansion, indices on words related by lexical semantics and syntactical co-occurrence need to be maintained. Two issues become paramount in supporting query expansion: the size of index tables and the query processing overhead. In this paper, we propose to use the notion of multi-granularity for more efficient indexing and query processing while the same degrees of precision and recall are maintained. We also describes extensions of this technique to handle: (1) query relaxation to handle words with multiple senses and with other semantic relationships; (2) progressive processing of queries with top N results and (3) progressive processing of queries with specification of the importance of each keyword.     

Supporting efficient multimedia database exploration

Due to the fuzziness of query specification and media matching, multimedia retrieval is conducted by way of exploration. It is essential to provide feedback so that users can visualize query reformulation alternatives and database content distribution. Since media matching is an expensive task, another issue is how to efficiently support exploration so that the system is not overloaded by perpetual query reformulation. In this paper, we present a uniform framework to represent statistical information of both semantics and visual metadata for images in the databases. We propose the concept of query verification, which evaluates queries using statistics, and provides users with feedback, including the strictness and reformulation alternatives of each query condition as well as estimated numbers of matches. With query verification, the system increases the efficiency of the multimedia database exploration for both users and the system. Such statistical information is also utilized to support progressive query processing and query relaxation. Received: 9 June 1998/ Accepted: 21 July 2000 Published online: 4 May 2001     

On demand synchronization and load distribution for database grid-based Web applications

With the availability of content delivery networks (CDN), many database-driven Web applications rely on data centers that host applications and database contents for better performance and higher reliability. However, it raises additional issues associated with database/data center synchronization, query/transaction routing, load balancing, and application result correctness/precision. In this paper, we investigate the issues in the context of data center synchronization for such load and precision critical Web applications in a distributed data center infrastructure. We develop a scalable scheme for adaptive synchronization of data centers to maintain the load and application precision requirements. A prototype has been built for the evaluation of the proposed scheme. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in maintaining both application result precision and load distribution; adapting to traffic patterns and system capacity limits.     

Load balancing and data placement for multi-tiered database systems

A materialized view or Materialized Query Table (MQT) is an auxiliary table with precomputed data that can be used to significantly improve the performance of a database query. A Materialized Query Table Advisor (MQTA) is often used to recommend and create MQTs. The state-of-the-art MQTA works in a standalone database server where MQTs are placed on the same server as that in which the base tables are located. The MQTA does not apply to a federated or scaleout scenario in which MQTs need to be placed on other servers close to applications (i.e. a frontend database server) for offloading the workload on the backend database server. In this paper, we propose a Data Placement Advisor (DPA) and load balancing strategies for multi-tiered database systems. Built on top of the MQTA, DPA recommends MQTs and advises placement strategies for minimizing the response time for a query workload. To demonstrate the benefit of the data placement advising, we implemented a prototype of DPA that works with the MQTA in the IBM^® DB2^® Universal Database™ (DB2 UDB) and the IBM WebSphere^® Information Integrator (WebSphere II). The evaluation results showed substantial improvements of workload response times when MQTs are intelligently recommended and placed on a frontend database server subject to space and load characteristics for TPC-H and OLAP type workloads.     

Query relaxation by structure and semantics for retrieval oflogical Web documents

Since the Web encourages hypertext and hypermedia document authoring (e.g., HTML or XML), Web authors tend to create documents that are composed of multiple pages connected with hyperlinks. A Web document may be authored in multiple ways, such as: (1) all information in one physical page, or (2) a main page and the related information in separate linked pages. Existing Web search engines, however, return only physical pages containing keywords. We introduce the concept of information unit, which can be viewed as a logical Web document consisting of multiple physical pages as one atomic retrieval unit. We present an algorithm to efficiently retrieve information units. Our algorithm can perform progressive query processing. These functionalities are essential for information retrieval on the Web and large XML databases. We also present experimental results on synthetic graphs and real Web data     

Database Integration Using Neural Networks: Implementation and Experiences

Applications in a wide variety of industries require access to multiple heterogeneous distributed databases. One step in heterogeneous database integration is semantic integration: identifying corresponding attributes in different databases that represent the same real world concept. The rules of semantic integration can not be ‘pre-programmed’ since the information to be accessed is heterogeneous and attribute correspondences could be fuzzy. Manually comparing all possible pairs of attributes is an unreasonably large task. We have applied artificial neural networks (ANNs) to this problem. Metadata describing attributes is automatically extracted from a database to represent their ‘signatures’. The metadata is used to train neural networks to find similar patterns of metadata describing corresponding attributes from other databases. In our system, the rules to determine corresponding attributes are discovered through machine learning. This paper describes how we applied neural network techniques in a database integration problem and how we represent an attribute with its metadata as discriminators. This paper focuses on our experiments on effectiveness of neural networks and each discriminator. We also discuss difficulties of using neural networks for this problem and our wish list for the Machine Learning community. Received 18 February 1999 / Revised 22 April 1999 / Accepted in revised form 20 November 1999     

Integration of Image Matching and Classification for Multimedia Navigation

With the recent explosive growth in the volume of images on the World-Wide Web, it has become increasingly difficult to search for images of interests. The classification of images helps users to access a large image collection efficiently. Classification reduces search space by filtering out unrelated images. Classification also allows for more user-friendly interfaces: users can better visualize easily result space by browsing the representative images of the candidates. In this paper, we present a technique for image classification based on color, shape and composition using the primary objects. We apply this classification technique in image matching for image retrieval on the Web. Our experimental results show that this approach can maintain 73% of recall by searching only 24% of the whole data set. We also show how we apply such technique to assist users in navigation.