Comprehensive, multi-dimensional graphical user interface using picture metadata for navigating and retrieving pictures in a picture database

1. A graphical user interface (GUI) adapted to browse pictures stored in a picture database, said GUI comprising:

a main level display providing links to other display levels, said main level display comprising:

a hierarchical picture grouping iconic region indicating directories, folders and files containing pictures from said database;

at least one main display area adapted to at least display pictures, thumbnails and graphical browsers;

a picture content iconic region, comprising a plurality of selectable icons, each representing a content category and associated with a display level with pictures from said picture database having content of a selected content category and grouped according to picture metadata;

a graphical browser region comprising selectable indicia of at least two graphical browsers utilized by said GUI, each indicia associated with a display level, with one of said display levels having a geographical map with icons located at picture locations on a map and another one of said display levels having a plot representing on one axis one characteristic of the images in the database and representing on another axis another characteristic of the images in the database; and

said GUI further enabling access to the display levels linked to said main display level via one or more of the icons in said main display level upon selection of an icon or indicia thereof.

2. The GUI in claim 1 , wherein said main display area is further adapted to display word search indicia, and said main display level further comprises a word search area comprising indicia of word search methodologies utilized by said GUI.

3. The GUI in claim 1 , wherein said content categories at least include picture capture date according to picture metadata.

4. The GUI in claim 1 , wherein said content categories at least include picture capture location according to picture metadata.

5. The GUI in claim 1 , wherein said content categories at least include predefined events to which pictures pertain, according to picture metadata.

6. The GUI in claim 1 , wherein said content categories at least include persons depicted in pictures according to picture metadata.

7. The GUI in claim 1 , wherein said graphical browsers at least comprise geographic maps constructed with the aid of picture metadata.

8. The GUI in claim 1 , wherein said graphical browsers at least comprise timeline metaphors constructed with the aid of picture metadata.

9. The GUI in claim 1 , wherein said plot comprises a scatter plot constructed with the aid of picture metadata.

10. The GUI in claim 1 , wherein said graphical browsers at least comprise people-based graphical representations constructed with the aid of picture metadata.

11. The GUI in claim 2 , wherein said content categories at least include picture capture date according to picture metadata.

12. The GUI in claim 2 , wherein said content categories at least include picture capture location according to picture metadata.

13. The GUI in claim 2 , wherein said content categories at least include predefined events to which pictures pertain, according to picture metadata.

14. The GUI in claim 2 , wherein said content categories at least include persons depicted in pictures according to picture metadata.

15. The GUI in claim 2 , wherein said graphical browsers at least comprise geographic maps constructed with the aid of picture metadata.

16. The GUI in claim 2 , wherein said graphical browsers at least comprise timeline metaphors constructed with the aid of picture metadata.

17. The GUI in claim 2 , wherein said graphical browsers at least comprise scatter plots constructed with the aid of picture metadata.

18. The GUI in claim 2 , wherein said graphical browsers at least comprise people-based graphical representations constructed with the aid of picture metadata.

19. The GUI in claim 2 , wherein said word search methodologies comprise Boolean searches.

20. The GUI in claim 1 , further comprising indicia of graphical browsers utilized by said GUI.

21. A method for presenting pictures from a picture database in an organized graphical user interface, the method comprising:

generating a main display level on a display, with the main display level having a picture content iconic region, and a graphical browser region and a hierarchical picture grouping iconic region;

with said hierarchical picture grouping iconic region indicating directories, folders and files containing pictures from said database, with said picture content iconic region providing a plurality of icons each icon representing a content category and associated with a display level that is linked to the main display level, said linked display level having a group of pictures therein said group of pictures comprising a portion of pictures from the database having content associated with a selected category and having related metadata, and with said graphical browser region comprising selectable indicia of at least two graphical browsers utilized by said GUI each indicia associated with a display level, with one of said display levels having a geographical map with icons located at picture locations on a map and with another one of said display levels having a plot representing on one axis one characteristic of the images in the database and on another axis another characteristic of images in the database,

detecting a selection of an icon or indicia; and

presenting a display level associated with the selected icon or indicia.