Syndetic Systems - Image Indexing Samples

Image Indexing and Descriptive Cataloging

Automated Image indexing is getting better, but still "requires human intuition. For each object, a programmer must determine which parts are the most important -- in the case of a horse, is it the head, the neck or the rump? For a car, should the computer emphasize the wheels, the windshield or the chassis?" -- Rebecca Boyle, in POPSCI [Popular Science Online]. Posted 05.07.2010.

While computers currently (though not always effectively) use captions, "near words" and pixel comparison to index images, they'd have a difficult time with this one. Painted by an anonymous "political pundit" of the mid-19th century, it's a commentary on the Risorgimento, or the unification process that created the modern Italian political state. A computer might choose "red, "blue," white" and "yellow" as index terms, but compare this inadequate indexing to what a human can do (below).

Anonymous. Garibaldi Fishing for the Trinacria, between 1850-1875, Oil on canvas.
(Collection of the Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano di Torino)

Alliances and Treaties
    Franco-Sardinian Alliance, 24 January 1859
    paintings, satirical, of
    Plombières Agreement, 3 August 1858

Anglo-French relations
    paintings, satirical, of
    Italian Unification, and

Anthropomorphic representations and symbols
    Como (Sardinia), as a fish
    France, as a boat
    France, as a rooster
    Great Britain, as a unicorn
    Kingdom of Sardinia, as a fish
    Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, as a triskelion
    Milan, as a fish
    Modena (Sardinia), as a fish
    Naples (Two Sicilies), as a horse
    Nice, (Sardinia), as a fish
    Papal States and Rome as Papal keys
    Plombières Agreement, as a basket of fish
    Savoy, (Sardinia), as a fish
    Venice, Republic of, as a lion

Bonaparte, Louis-Napoléon (1808-1873)
    Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour, and
    Garibaldi, Giuseppe, and
    Great Britain, and
    Italian Unification, and
    paintings, satirical, of

Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour (1810-1861)
    Bonaparte, Louis-Napoléon, and
Garibaldi, Giuseppe, and
Italian Unification, and
    paintings, satirical, of
    Plombières Agreement, 3 August 1858
  state-building, and

Cavour
    see Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour

Expedition of the Thousand (Spedizione dei Mille)
    Garibaldi, Giuseppe, and
    Italian Unification, and
    Red Shirts, and
    paintings, satirical, of

France
    boat, depicted as
    Franco-Sardinian Alliance, and
Great Britain, relations with
    Italian Unification, and
    paintings, satirical, of
rooster, depicted as

Garibaldi, Giuseppe (1807-1882)
    Bonaparte, Louis-Napoléon, and
    Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour, and
    Expedition of the Thousand, and
    fisherman, depicted as
    Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and
    paintings, satirical, of
    Red Shirts, and
state-building, and

Great Britain
    France, relations with
    Italian Unification, and
    paintings, satirical, of
    unicorn, depicted as

Italian Unification (Risorgimento)
    Bonaparte, Louis-Napoléon, and
    Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour, and
    Expedition of the Thousand, and
    Garibaldi, Giuseppe, and
    paintings, satirical, of
    Red Shirts, and
    state-building, and

Kingdom of Sardinia
    Bonaparte, Louis-Napoléon, and
    Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour, and
    four fish (Como, Modena, Nice & Savoy), depicted as
    Franco-Sardinian Alliance, and
    Italian Unification, and
    paintings, satirical, of

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
    Garibaldi, Giuseppe, and
    Italian Unification, and
    paintings, satirical, of
    triskelion, depicted as

Napoléon III
    see Bonaparte, Louis-Napoléon

Nation-building
    see State-building

Paintings
    Italian Unification
    political satire
state-building, satirical depiction of

Red Shirts (Camicie rosse)
    Expedition of the Thousand, and
    Garibaldi, Giuseppe, and
    Italian Unification, and
    Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and

Risorgimento
    see Italian Unification

Sardinia, Kingdom of
    see Kingdom of Sardinia

Sicilies, Kingdom of the Two
    see Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

State-building
    Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour, and
    Garibaldi, Giuseppe, and
    Italian Unification, and
    paintings, satirical, of

Trinacria
    see Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

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