Concept-Based Video Retrieval reviews 300 references on video retrieval, indicating when the text-only solutions of present-day video search engines are unsatisfactory and showing the promising alternatives which are primarily concept-based. Central to the discussion, therefore, is the fundamental notion of a semantic concept: an objective linguistic description of an observable entity.

This book motivates and explains how automated detection, selection under uncertainty, and interactive usage might solve the major scientific problems for video retrieval: the semantic gap. In striving to bridge this gap, the authors structured their review by laying down the anatomy of a concept-based video search engine. They present a component-wise decomposition and evaluation of such an interdisciplinary multimedia system, covering influences from information retrieval, computer vision, machine learning, and human-computer interaction.

The book is aimed primarily at researchers and developers in the broad area of information retrieval. It will also be an invaluable reference for students in computer and information science at the (post)graduate level, as well as industrial practitioners.