Photo-based mobile deixis system and related techniques

A storage medium comprising:

• a first computer readable program code stored on the storage medium being operative to interact with a processor in a server and to communicate with a handheld device to capture an image from a camera;
• a second computer readable program code stored on the storage medium being operative to interact with the processor in the server having a database with image files, each file including an image, text and an associated link and to search said database of image files for a similar image similar to the captured image by comparing using a content based image retrieval technique the captured image with other images and to cause said server to provide to the handheld device an image and a hyperlink to the image file in the database having the similar image;
• and
• a third computer readable program code stored on the storage medium being operative to interact with the processor in the server to communicate with other computers having image files and to search using a content based image retrieval technique said other computers for a similar image when a similar image is not found in the database in the server and to add the similar image and an associated hyperlink when found on another computer to the database.

A method for identifying a location comprising the steps of:

• (i) providing a database of images on a first computer, each image having an associated URL that includes said image and a description of the image;
• (ii) comparing using a content based image retrieval technique an image of an unknown location communicated to the first computer from a handheld device with images from the database of images and providing a list of images and corresponding URL of possible matching images to the handheld device;
• (iii) searching using a content based image retrieval technique, using the first computer, files on additional computers when a matching image is not found in the database on the first computer and adding the similar image and associated hyperlink when found on another computer to the database;
• and
• (iv) reviewing the images in the list of possible matching images until the matching image of the correct location is identified.