To easily and quickly retrieve intended information.

In an electronic picture book 1, a prescribed characteristic (size, color, shape or the like of a floor or leaf) is extracted from a taken image to be examined, and information for probable plants as the object of examination is retrieved and displayed based on the present position, the present time, and the extracted characteristic. According to a user's selection, detailed information related to a specified plant matter of these plants is displayed. Thus, the user can know what kind of plants the object of examination is only by taking the picture of the object of examination, and an examination for plants or the like can be performed without searching with a picture book of document.