Exploring the world through photos.

ABSTRACTOur world spans an extensive area within which countless photos have been taken, each depicting a place and a moment worth capturing. The where, when, and what in these photos represent the world as a patchwork of spatiotemporal regions of interest, influenced by seasons, circadian rhythms, and other temporal patterns. These areas of interest go beyond finding the corner coffee shop, but rather illuminate the neighborhood boundaries and other territorial limits---reflecting how we see and annotate the world through photos. Uncovering these areas of interest yields direct insights into how people actively explore and interact with the world, where this knowledge can furthermore be exploited to fulfill the needs of those wishing to passively explore our planet from the comfort of their homes or actively out in the world.