A User Preference Model and a Query Language that allow Semantic Retrieval and Filtering of Multimedia Content

We present in this paper MP7QL, a powerful query language that we are developing for querying MPEG-7 descriptions, and a user preference model that allows for expressing preferences about every aspect of an MPEG-7 multimedia content description. The MP7QL queries may utilize the user preferences as context, thus allowing for personalized multimedia content retrieval. The user preference model supports multimedia Filtering and Search Preferences (FASP) that allow for expressing semantic preferences, preferences regarding the low-level visual features and preferences regarding media-related aspects (creation, classification, source etc). The proposed FASPs essentially are MP7QL queries, allow for the systematic integration of domain knowledge in the semantic preferences of the users and have the standard MPEG-7 FASPs as a special case. The MP7QL and the FASP model have been expressed using both XML Schema and OWL syntax. An implementation on top of an XML Repository is currently under way.