Distributed storage and metadata system

A digital storage repository for storing digital images and accessing and storing digital image information for use with a network of other digital storage repositories that have digital images with associated semantic information and associated categories using a communication network, the digital storage repository comprising;

• a processor and at least one computer program associated with the processor that stores and retrieves over the communication network semantic information derived from the digital images and categories associated with the semantic information;
• wherein the digital storage repository is associated with one or more different authorization groups, each authorization group enabling access by the digital storage repository to other digital storage repositories within the authorization group;
• wherein the processor uses its computer program to store and retrieve over the communication network semantic information derived from the digital images and categories associated with the derived semantic information, to match semantic information from other digital storage repositories in a common authorization group, and to associate a category with matched semantic information;
• wherein the digital storage repository includes a first digital image with associated first semantic information and is in communicable association with at least one other digital storage repository in a common authorization group, and
• wherein the processor of the first digital storage repository uses its computer program to independently access and match the first semantic information with the semantic information of a digital image in the other digital storage repository, to associate a category of the other digital image with the first semantic information, and to store the category in association with the first semantic information in the digital storage repository.