TOWARD A THEORY OF ACTIVE INDEX

This paper introduces a theoretical framework for the active index, The active index facilitates the accessing and automatic manipulation of visual objects. With an active index, we can effectively and efficiently handle smart images that respond to accessing, probing and other actions. Another important application is information retrieval in hyperspace. The active index can also be used to realize Petri nets, generalized Petri nets such as G-nets, B-trees, etc., but the dynamic nature of the active index is its most important characteristic. Implementation considerations and research issues are discussed.