Multimedia Databases CSCI 5817 – Spring 1999

Applications that require multimedia information tend to use extremely large quantities of data. Traditional databases, which are designed for queries over vast amounts of information, would seem to be ideal for managing multimedia resources. However, because of the radically different ways in which multimedia information must be processed, simply using standard relational systems provides insufficient support. Although Object-Oriented and Object-Relational systems are superior in their ability to handle multimedia content, additional support will be necessary to address the unique needs of multimedia applications. This paper discusses some of the motivating needs of Multimedia Databases, the strengths and weaknesses of current products, and why new products will need to support more than current object-based technologies. Introduction As computers have become faster and their ability to store and manipulate information has grown exponentially, computers continue to be taxed by handling information of increasing size and complexity. Multimedia applications were once available only on special-purpose or high-end computers because of their resourceintensive nature. Today, even entry-level computers can adequately handle multimedia content. Just as the ability to process media has improved dramatically, so too has the amount of available multimedia content. The ability to handle multimedia content and the belief that multimedia will enrich computer applications has created a tremendous demand for tools to help manage multimedia information. When we think of multimedia, we often think of graphic and sound-intensive computer programs, especially educational software and video games. Electronic