Software Development - Support Vector Machine (SVM) or image comparison to database

Requirement Description:

We are looking for a tool or script, which compares an inputted image to a database of other images of similar items and returns a percentage match.

Example: We have a database of many photos of apples taken from different positions, colours, types etc. We want to determine whether the inputted image is of an apple, by comparing the visual features of the input image against the database of different apples.

The inputted image wont be an exact match to any image in the database, but we are looking to determine a percentage match and if or if not, the image contains an apple based upon a percentage threshold set in the source code.

SVM is mentioned as these have been widely used in research to ‘train’ and develop self learning systems for these purposes (SVM is preferred if possible)

The tool would must:

1. Take a set of images from a source directory, compare them to the database images and if there is a strong indication of a match (e.g. an apple being in a source image), then to move it to a folder called ‘Match’, otherwise, move the source image to a folder called ‘No Match’)

2. Produce a simple log file naming the image file name, and which directory category it has been placed into

Suggested Framework:


- Application preferably written in Java, but open to interpretation, as long as it can be integrated into larger application
- Preferably with an API
- Code and functions must be commented and plain text (i.e. not obfuscated)
- Basic guide on how to run the code must be included
- Work on Windows as a minimum, but ideally Mac OS too
- Must explain which image comparison technique has been used and how it works (or at least provide the literature for further review)
- The developer must provide a working example of the program (e.g. provide a set of apple images in database or folder etc, and a set of source images to compare)

NOTE: We are not looking for a GUI development, although if it makes it easier to run a script at via a very basic GUI then that’s OK with us.

The use of 3rd party code is acceptable but must be indicated to us and must allow us to use/negotiate for commercial usage in the future.