Media unit retrieval methods, systems and computer program products are provided that allow a user to search for an item by iteratively presenting media units such as images representing items to the user and receiving user input consisting of selections of the presented media units (including possibly the empty selection). Features, or attributes, a user is interested in, for example semantic features, are inferred from the interaction and media units are retrieved for presentation based on similarity with user-selected media units, through sampling of a probability distribution describing the intent or interests, or combinations of approaches. Accordingly, the user-experience is akin to a conversation about what the user is looking for. Retrieval may be based on both selected and unselected media units and the selection may comprise making a selection with a single action. Further, a database of media units can capture similarity relationships for efficient media unit retrieval.

Media unit retrieval methods, systems and computer program products are provided that allow a user to search for an item by iteratively presenting media units such as images representing items to the user and receiving user input consisting of selections of the presented media units (including possibly the empty selection). Features, or attributes, a user is interested in, for example semantic features, are inferred from the interaction and media units are retrieved for presentation based on similarity with user-selected media units, through sampling of a probability distribution describing the intent or interests, or combinations of approaches. Accordingly, the user-experience is akin to a conversation about what the user is looking for. Retrieval may be based on both selected and unselected media units and the selection may comprise making a selection with a single action. Further, a database of media units can capture similarity relationships for efficient media unit retrieval.

An information presentation apparatus obtains monitoring information that indicates a state of a monitoring target, accumulates it in a storage unit, and detects, based on the monitoring information accumulated in the storage unit, the occurrence of an information presentation trigger event. The information presentation apparatus generates, based on the monitoring information accumulated in the storage unit, search data for searching for relevant information related to the detected event, uses the generated the search data to search for the relevant information, and generates presentation information for present the relevant information found by the searching.

A process of operating a communication system is provided. The process may include identifying data at a device. The process may further include determining that at least one other device includes at least a portion of the identified data. In addition, the process may include transmitting, to the at least one other device, identification information to enable the at least one other device to locate the identified data at the at least one other device.

A process of operating a communication system is provided. The process may include identifying data at a device. The process may further include determining that at least one other device includes at least a portion of the identified data. In addition, the process may include transmitting, to the at least one other device, identification information to enable the at least one other device to locate the identified data at the at least one other device.

An image processing device assists searching for image data in an image viewing service, and includes: a recognizer that recognizes a part representing a target object from the image data; an extractor that extracts a color used in pixels in the part recognized; a determiner that determines a color that is not extracted from the part but is likely to be used in searching by a service user, based on a search tendency in searching by the service user; and an adder that creates a first tag indicating the color extracted by the extractor and a second tag indicating the color determined by the determiner and adds the first tag and the second tag as search tags to the image data.

A system, method and computer program product for accessing content based on an image. The method comprises comparing an image to a database of images, each of the images of the database being associated with at least one corresponding audio track, identifying those ones images of the database that correspond to the image, and identifying the at least one corresponding audio track that corresponds to the identified images. In one example aspect, the method also comprises presenting the audio track to a user. Corresponding metadata also can be presented. The images may be classified by, e.g., genre, musical album, concept, or the like, and, in cases where an input image is determined to belong to any such classes, audio content and/or metadata relating thereto are identified and presented to the user.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to validating map data using challenge questions. For instance, an attributes to be validated may be identified from the map data. At least one challenge question may be selected from a plurality of predetermined challenge questions based on the attribute. An image may be retrieved based on image information associated with the at least one challenge question. The image and the at least one challenge question may be provided for display. In response to the providing, operator input identifying an answer to the at least one challenge question may be received. This answer may be then used to validate the attribute.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to validating map data using challenge questions. For instance, an attributes to be validated may be identified from the map data. At least one challenge question may be selected from a plurality of predetermined challenge questions based on the attribute. An image may be retrieved based on image information associated with the at least one challenge question. The image and the at least one challenge question may be provided for display. In response to the providing, operator input identifying an answer to the at least one challenge question may be received. This answer may be then used to validate the attribute.

A request processing apparatus includes a selecting section and an outputting section. The selecting section selects, from multiple pieces of photo data obtained through shooting during an event, one or more pieces of photo data consistent with a request accepted before or during the event. The outputting section outputs the one or more pieces of photo data selected by the selecting section.