| 摘要 |
In contrast to prior art picture database browsing and retrieving methods which require the tedious opening and perusing of directories, folders and files, the present-inventive graphical user interface system ( 500 ) and method produces several display levels ( 100,200,300,400 ) of user-friendly geographical/map metaphors from picture metadata with picture icons ( 116, 216, 316 ) representing pictures captured at locations on maps. The characteristics of the display levels ( 100, 200, 300, 400 ) are programmable by the user. In the preferred embodiment, the size of the picture icons ( 116, 216, 316 ) is proportional to the number of pictures captured at the icon location. Further features of the present-inventive graphical user interface (GUI) include a "tool tip" which appears indicating the number of pictures represented by a picture icon ( 116, 216, 316 ), when the screen cursor is placed over the picture icon ( 116, 216, 316 ). In an example according to the present-inventive GUI, the first display level ( 100 ) includes a world map metaphor ( 114 ) with picture icons ( 116 ) located at the global capture locations of the pictures in the picture database. Each additional display level ( 200, 300, 400 ) provides greater geographic specificity of the picture capture locations. Such additional display levels include continent or country of capture ( 200 ), state or territory of capture ( 300 ), and city or town of capture ( 400 ), etc., with the last display level including thumbnail representations ( 430-448 ) of the pictures captured at the specified capture locations.
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