Abstract

Bjørn Olstad
How Emerging Technology Will Drive New Precision Levels for Academic Libraries


In this talk we will introduce Contextual Search, a convergence of three dominant approaches within the major areas of modern information retrieval: Intelligent text and data mining, Flexible content structuring technologies and High-performing search technology. We will also give examples where this new generation of search engines has made a strategic difference for scientific information providers and consumers.

There are several, essentially new aspects, that contrast contextual search to other schema-flexible technologies. First, the retrieval performance is truly "industrial strength". Second, data is weighted and filtered, rather than treated with an algebraic approach where all data has equal value, improving discovery quality. Third, retrieval can be done related to a large number of recognized entities, such as persons, companies or places, replacing result lists with answers. Fourth, new discovery tools are provided, including contextual navigation. Finally, contextual information vastly improves precision while preserving recall. Contextual search is not just about flexible query or content representation; it is about optimal content exploitation, turning information into value.



Bielefeld University Library - last update: 12/08/2005