A smart clustering algorithm for photo set obtained from multiple digital cameras

摘要

The use of digital cameras is prevalent. Although the cost of digital photographs is low, managing numerous digital photos is burdensome to most users. An intelligent management tool for digital photos is needed. We propose a novel clustering algorithm for concurrent digital photos obtained from multiple cameras. Since previous photo clustering methods can be applied to a single camera, a group of photos obtained from different cameras cannot be classified to meet user preference. We newly define temporal/spatial combined clustering for the set of group photos taken from different cameras to solve this situation. We define a new spatial similarity using block alignment for two independent photos. If a user submits photo clustering that shows preference between spatial and temporal clustering, then we can cluster other photo sets according to the reference clustering characteristics. In this method, the EXIF metadata plays an essential role. We tested more than one thousand photos taken by tourist groups. The final result was satisfactory compared to previous methods based on temporal (spatial) criteria only.