iART: An interactive analysis- and retrieval-tool for the support of image-oriented research processes

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The project "iART: An interactive analysis- and retrieval-tool for the support of image-oriented research processes" is devoted to the development of an e-Research-Tool for digitized, image-oriented research processes in the humanities and cultural sciences. It not only aims to improve the efficiency of retrieval in image databases but also offers various tools for analyzing image data, thereby enhancing scientific work and facilitating new theory formation. The motivation for the project stems from the fundamental importance of the comparative approach in art history, which targets the similarity of pictures and comes along with a rehabilitation of similarity thinking in contemporary philosophy of science. The tool iART is supposed to transfer the approach of art history theorists and practitioners of Comparative Analysis to the digital age, and to extend it by virtue of modern information technology. With the help of iART, the similarity-based analysis of images will be transferred to digital image repositories, automated to a large extent, and complemented by various additional functionalities. Automated pattern recognition based on machine learning will play a central role in this regard, especially for annotating images with metadata. This functionality will be complemented by tools for image retrieval (both keyword- and content-based), category formation (via clustering), as well as personalization based on user behavior and feedback. User queries as well as the presentation of results such as rankings of images (as an answer to a retrieval task) and clustering structures will be supported by a graphical interface. iART will be made available through the Internet, utilizable with common browsers, and transferable to other databases thanks to standardized interfaces. As an e-Research-Tool, it will significantly improve the efficiency of image-oriented research in the humanities, thereby supporting theory formation and triggering new research questions.