"Similarity search" refers to a concept in computer science where one searches for objects that are similar to a given object. This can be used in various application areas such as information retrieval, image processing, databases, and text analysis.
Typical functions of software in the field of similarity search include:
Calculating similarity measures: The software computes a metric to quantify the similarity between objects. This can be based on different features such as text content, image features, or structural properties.
Indexing: The software indexes the data to enable efficient searching for similar objects. This can be done by constructing special data structures like trees or hash tables.
Search algorithm: The software implements algorithms to find similar objects based on the calculated similarity measures. This may involve searching for nearest neighbors or clustering similar objects.