Image retrieval based on edge representation

Content-based image retrieval from large collections of images is a challenging task; especially retrieval based on edges. We present a fast algorithm for image retrieval by sketch or image example. The images in the database are archived in a hash table, where the addresses of the entries in the table are derived from the edge orientations in predefined regions of the images. In the retrieval stage, images that have regions similar to the regions of the query image are retrieved from the hash table and a voting is performed to rank the images according to their similarity to the query. Experimental results show that the algorithm is robust.