ated AV material, in the same data stream, or on the same storage system. The descriptions may reside remotely. When the content and its descriptions are not co- located, mechanisms that link MPEG-7 will address applications that can be stored on-line or off-line, or streamed, and can operate in both real-time and non real-time environments. Digital libraries (e.g., image catalog or musical dictionary), multimedia directory services (e.g., yellow pages), broadcast media selection (e.g., radio or TV channel), and multimedia editing (e.g., personalized electronic news service or media authoring) will all benefit from MPEG-7. MPEG-7 allows for any type of AV material to be retrieved by means of any type of query material. For example, video material may be queried using video, music, or speech. MPEG-7 does not dictate how the search engine may match the query data and the MPEG-7 AV description, but it may describe a standard programming interface to a search engine. A few query examples may include: Music- Play a few notes on a keyboard to receive a list of musical pieces that contain the required tune or images that in some way match the notes. Graphics- Draw a few lines on a screen and receive a set of images that contain similar graphics or logos. Image- Define objects, including color patches or textures and receive examples from which to select. Movement- On a given set of objects, describe movements and relations between objects and receive a list of animations that match the described temporal and spatial relations. Scenario- For a given content, describe actions to receive a list of scenarios in which similar actions occur. Voice- Using an excerpt of a given vocalist's voice, receive a list of that vocalist's recordings or video clips. MPEG-7 is still at an early stage and is seeking the collaboration of new experts in relevant areas. The preliminary work plan for MPEG-7 projects a committee draft in October 2000, a final committee draft in February 2001, a draft international standard in July 2001, and an i