Finding Photos, Before and After Because computers can't recognize images directly, they must search for photos by analyzing captions. But, with conventional databases, the software can only look for exact matches of specified key words. So, if a researcher types in ''cold, wintry day in New England,'' the computer would scan its database of captions and when it arrived at ''A dreary day in Maine,'' instead of pulling the photo, would declare, ''NO MATCH!'' and keep going. Today's software, using artificial intelligence techniques that observe the relationship between words, ''knows'' enough about English syntax to expand its search and find more matches.

Updated June 14, 1997 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1996, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
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