1. A computer-implemented method for detecting a visual characteristic of interest, the method comprising: obtaining an image, wherein the image comprises a plurality of pixels within a plurality of boundaries, wherein the plurality of pixels comprises at least one pixel representing the visual characteristic of interest; creating first pixel data based on a value associated with the pixel and a value associated with a first intervening pixel, wherein the first intervening pixel is positioned along a straight line between the pixel and a first boundary of the image; converting bits of at least a portion of the first pixel data into a first sequence of integers; creating second pixel data based on the value associated with the pixel and a value associated with a second intervening pixel, wherein the second intervening pixel is located between the pixel and a second boundary of the image, the second boundary different from the first boundary; converting bits of at least a portion of the second pixel data into a second sequence of integers; determining a similarity metric between the first sequence of integers and the second sequence of integers using a distance function; creating a third sequence of integers based on the similarity metric, wherein the third sequence of integers includes integers common to the first sequence of integers and the second sequence of integers, wherein the common integers appear in the same order in both the first sequence of integers and the second sequence of integers, wherein the third sequence of integers facilitates the identification of the visual characteristic of interest in other images; and storing the third sequence of integers.