Digital audio and video are increasingly common as data that are manipulated in computer and communication systems. The use of information retrieval mechanisms (e.g., Mosaic, Gopher) that allow the exchange and display of audio, stills, and video is rapidly becoming a major consumer of network bandwidth and storage. Without filtering mechanisms or hierarchical coding schemes one must process a great deal of data to yield sought information. To support future interactive information delivery services such as entertainment, distance learning, home health care, and telecommuting, there is a need to provide efficient means for locating, accessing, and delivering enormous amounts of video content. The research described in this proposal seeks to enable fast access during browsing and retrieval of this video content. The ``fast access'' is proposed to be achieved by a combination of approaches involving: (1) development of domain-specific information models for video content, (2) development of automated information capture for hierarchical coding and scalable delivery in the audio/video domains, (3) use of video query/interface techniques tailored to the information models, and (4) mapping of information content to developed delivery protocols. Anticipated results are techniques and proof of concept for the proposed fast access. Proposed teaching activities encompass the development of courses to reflect the changing needs of computer engineers and the use, evaluation, and promotion of computer-based instructional tools.
