Polygonal shape descriptors-an efficient solution for image retrieval and object localization

Description and standardization of low-level visual features such as object shapes is essential for interactive multimedia access. This paper discusses a polygon-based shape descriptor providing two functionalities: shape description for image retrieval and shape coding for object localization. The descriptor is optimized in two ways: with respect to retrieval vs. size and with respect to localization error vs. size. While for these functionalities usually two shape descriptors are used, this paper presents an efficient single representation fulfilling both requirements.