Combining Fuzzy Information From Multiple Systems
Ron Fagin
IBM Almaden Research Center
Abstract
In a traditional database system, the result of a query is a set of
values (those values that satisfy the query). In a system with
queries based on image content, the result of a query is a sorted
list. For example, the query might ask for objects that are a
particular shade of red, and the result of the query would be a sorted
list of objects in the database, sorted by how well the color of the
object matches that given in the query. A multimedia system must
somehow synthesize both types of queries in a consistent manner. In
this talk we discuss the solution adopted by Garlic, a multimedia
information system being developed at the IBM Almaden Research Center.
This solution is based on "graded" (or "fuzzy") sets. Issues of
query optimization in a multimedia system are very different from
those in a traditional database system. This is because the
multimedia system receives answers to subqueries from various
subsystems, which can be accessed only in limited ways. As a first
step in dealing with these fascinating new issues, an optimal
algorithm for evaluating an important class of Garlic queries is
presented. This talk will be completely self-contained.