We propose an organization for aclatabase of objects that permits the efficient retrieval of all objects in the database with a shape similar to a search template. The retrieval technique wepropse isrobust indtepresence of noise, and can handle several different notions of similarity inchrding changes in scale, position, and even relative sizes of components. We can thus have the computer reproduce, on a huge database of images, the process performed by a human in ' 'riffling" through a book,

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... ing an index structure to retrieve likely candidates quickly.