A method of identifying an object within an environment is described for capturing visual data associated with the environment and comparing data defining a candidate object in the environment with an object data store storing object templates providing data pertaining to one or more objects; responsive to matching the data defining the candidate object in the environment and an object template, identifying the candidate object; and responsive to failing to match data representing the candidate object in the environment with an object template, identifying one or more object identifiers disposed in the environment to define identifier search data, and using the identifier search data to interrogate a further object data store to identify the candidate object.