The role of high-level and low-level features in semi-automated retrieval and generation of multimedia presentations

In this article we argue that for the automatic generation of adaptive multimedia presentations we are in need of expandable, adaptable style descriptions which provide both high-level conceptual and low-level feature extraction information. Only the combination of both facilitates the retrieval of adequate material and its user-centred presentation. We discuss the requirements for an adaptable Web-based environment for museums presenting visual artefacts. We then present the framework of our prototype multimedia generation environment which transforms a high-level user query into a concrete multimedia final-form encoding that is playable on an end-users' platform. We describe the underlying architecture and provide a working example.