JULY 11, 2008--Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA, USA;www.cmu.edu) have devised the first computerized method that can analyze a single photograph and determine where in the world the image likely was taken. It's a feat made possible by searching through millions of GPS-tagged images in the Flickr online photo collection.
The IM2GPS algorithm developed by computer-science graduate student James Hays and Alexei A. Efros, assistant professor of computer science and robotics, doesn't attempt to scan a photo for location clues, such as types of clothing, the language on street signs, or specific types of vegetation, as a person might do. Rather, it analyzes the composition of the photo, notes how textures and colors are distributed and records the number and orientation of lines in the photo. It then searches Flickr for photos that are similar in appearance. For more information, go to:www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/June/june18_geolocation.shtml.
