infoTECH Feature

February 22, 2016

Google Launches Beta Release of Cloud Vision API

Google (News - Alert) has just released the beta version of Google Cloud Vision API, an application programming interface that grants developers the ability to implement image recognition and classification features into their applications.

This is a powerful work of technology that is already a central component of numerous Google services, most notably Google Image Search. Cloud Vision can detect a wide range of objects within images and classify them, read and extract text and logos from images (it can automatically identify languages), detect various levels of inappropriate content and even analyze the emotional attributes of people in images. The potential use cases for this API are limitless, and now that it is open to the developer community one can only imagine the innovative applications that are on the horizon.

There are six main features that make up Cloud Vision API. Label detection executes image content analysis and returns what it thinks is in the picture, while text, face, landmark and logo detection can each find their namesakes within an image. Safe search detection looks for sensitive material in the same manner as Google Image Search, while the image properties feature can compute a list of properties for a given image such as its dominant colors.

Google is introducing a scaled pricing model for the API and only asking developers to pony up payment for what they actually use, although for 1,000 units or less per month every feature is free. For label detection, between 1,000 and 1,000,000 units is $5.00 per month, between 1,000,000 and 5,000,000 units is $4.00 per month and between 5,000,000 and 20,000,000 units is $2.00 per month. The other features are $2.50, $2.00 and $0.60 per month, respectively.

Cutting-edge APIs like this latest one from Google are constantly pushing the boundaries of what applications are capable of, and what they can accomplish. It’s All About the API, a conference taking place in Las Vegas July 18-21, is dedicated to progressing application development through innovative APIs and will feature a wide range of offerings that can further bolster the toolkits available to developers. The list of exhibitors for 2016 has yet to be released, but it is very likely that Google will be present and demonstrating the Cloud Vision API, which by then will most likely be out of beta and officially released.




Edited by Stefania Viscusi
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