Generalized pictorial data management

Abstract

The collection and processing of digital image or pictorial data based on photographs, drawings, maps, etc. is undergoing a period of rapid growth. Industry, universities, and governmental and military agencies are producing an ever increasing volume and variety of such data. For many years special image data handling systems have been developed to store and retrieve specific types of pictorial data. More recently, however, it has been realized that instead of the one-of-its-kind type of approach, the generalized pictorial data base management system approach is the preferred approach (much in the same way that today's DBMS for record-type data are unquestionably preferred in most eases over tailor-made one-of-its kind systems).