EPSRC Network on Vision and Language (V&L Net)

在网络上，更广泛地说，在各种各样的数据存储库中，可访问的数字信息的数量正以前所未有的速度增长。越来越多的数字信息意味着视觉内容（图像和视频），这一发展导致计算解决方案落后于当前各种图像/视频搜索、处理和管理需求的情况。视觉内容和语言之间存在着巨大的、尚未弥合的语义鸿沟。寻找图像/视频检索、自动图像/视频注释和类似挑战的解决方案将需要弥合这一差距，而这反过来又需要计算机视觉（CV）和自然语言处理（NLP）领域的专业知识。然而，虽然语言和视觉是人类感知和计算机媒介交流的两种主要方式，但这两种相应的计算科学学科几乎没有相互交流，这也是语言-视觉差距仍然如此之大的部分原因：NLP研究可能没有充分意识到涉及视觉内容的可能应用范围及其特定的语言处理要求；CV往往低估了语言处理问题的复杂性，目前使用的大多是基本的语言处理技术，而复杂、高性能的工具已经存在。我们建议建立EPSRC视觉与语言网络（V&L Net），为来自视觉与语言处理领域的研究人员提供一个交流思想、专业知识和技术的论坛。英国在NLP和CV方面拥有一些世界领先的研究人员。V&L Net旨在利用这一专业知识体系，建立新的战略合作伙伴关系，旨在通过发展解决日益多模式世界所带来的困难挑战所需的理论，缩小语言与视觉的差距。一个成功的网络将使英国处于语言与视觉交叉领域开发解决方案的前沿，这些解决方案具有明显的商业潜力。我们在V&L Net的首要目标是创建一个新的跨学科研究社区，致力于为涉及语言和视觉的挑战提供计算解决方案。通过(i)将计算机视觉和语言处理这两个目前独立学科的研究人员聚集在一起，（ii）促进相关信息、专业知识和资源的获取，以及（iii）刺激研究和启动个人研究项目，我们的目标是大幅增加跨学科研究活动。通过增加计算机视觉和语言处理方面的专业知识，我们希望看到在解决一系列现实世界挑战和理论问题方面取得的进展。后者往往会产生更长期的影响（为未来的突破奠定基础），而前者具有巨大的潜力，可以产生突破性的新产品和服务，即使在中短期内也能以各种方式改善人们的生活质量。视力、听力和认知能力受损的人将受益于辅助技术，帮助他们获得多种方式。图像搜索和检索的改进将增强在线搜索体验，并帮助医院和警察部队等机构处理他们每天处理的大量图像和视频。

The amount of digital information accessible on the web and, more generally, in data repositories of various sorts isgrowing at an ever faster pace. Increasingly, digital information means visual content (image and video), and thisdevelopment has resulted in a situation where computational solutions are lagging behind a diverse range ofcurrent image/video search, processing and management needs. There is a big, and as yet unbridged, semanticgap between visual content and language. Finding solutions for image/video retrieval, automatic image/videoannotation and similar challenges will require this gap to be bridged, and this in turn will require expertise from boththe computer vision (CV) and natural language processing (NLP) fields. Yet, while language and vision are the twoprimary modalities for human perception and computer-mediated communication, the two corresponding computingscience disciplines hardly talk to each other, and this is part of the reason why the language-vision gap is still sowide: NLP research is perhaps not aware enough of the range of possible applications involving visual content andtheir specific language processing requirements; CV can tend to underestimate the complexity of thelanguage processing problem, and currently uses mostly basic language processing technology, whereassophisticated, high-performance tools exist.We propose an EPSRC Network on Vision and Language, V&L Net, to create a forum for researchers from CVand NLP to meet and exchange ideas, expertise and technology. The UK has some of the world's leadingresearchers in NLP and CV. V&L Net aims to tap this body of expertise to create new strategic partnerships aimed atnarrowing the language-vision gap by developing the theory required for solutions to the difficult challenges posedby our increasingly multi-modal world. A successful network will place the UK at the forefront of developing solutionsat the language-vision intersection which have clear commercial potential.Our overarching goal in V&L Net is the creation of a new interdisciplinary research community working towardscomputational solutions for challenges that involve both language and vision. By (i) bringing researchers from thetwo currently separate disciplines of computer vision and language processing together, (ii) facilitating access torelevant information, expertise, and resources, and (iii) stimulating research and pump-priming individual researchprojects, we aim to engender a substantial increase in interdisciplinary research activity. Through this increase inwork bringing to bear expertise from both computer vision and language processing, we expect to see a stepchange in progress towards solutions for a range of real-world challenges as well as theoretical questions. Whilethe latter will tend to have a more long-term impact (laying the groundwork for future breakthroughs), the formerhave substantial potential to result in ground-breaking new products and services that will improve people's qualityof life in diverse ways even in the short to medium term. People with impairments in sight, hearing and cognitive ability will benefit from assistive technology that will help them access multiple modalities. Improvements in image search and retrieval will enhance online search experience, as well as help institutions such as hospitals and police forces to cope with the massive amounts of images and videos they deal with daily.