Describes an approximate document ranking process that uses a compact array of in-memory, low-precision approximations for document length. Combined with another rule for reducing the memory required by partial similarity accumulators, the approximation heuristic allows the ranking of large document collections using less than one byte of memory…

Considers flexible querying of relational databases. Highlights include SQL languages and basic aggregate operators; Sugeno's fuzzy integral; evaluation examples; and how and under what conditions other aggregate functions could be applied to fuzzy sets in a flexible query. (Author/LRW)

Applies a prefix trie index, or trie hashing, to the problem of providing fast search times, fast load times, and fast update properties in a bibliographic or full-text retrieval system with inverted files. Statistics are given for a test database consisting of an online catalog at the University of Western Ontario. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of commercial document/information retrieval models focuses on the fact that document retrieval, specifically access to intellectual content, is a complex process which is most strongly influenced by the size of the document collection, the type of search (exhaustive, existence or sample) and the determinacy of document representation.…

Discussion of the classification of documents from bibliographic databases focuses on a method of vectorizing reference documents from LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts) which permits their topological organization using Kohonen's algorithm. Analyzes possibilities of this type of neural network with respect to the development of…

Discusses content-based image retrieval systems that effectively utilize information from image databases, and provides a taxonomy for approaches to image retrieval. Highlights include image retrieval architecture that supports query operators; conceptual issues; and two application prototypes. (100 references) (Author/LRW)

Discussion of networked information retrieval and the interoperability of heterogeneous information-retrieval systems shows how differences concerning search operators and database schemas can be handled by applying data-abstraction concepts in combination with uncertain inference. Highlights include data types, data independence, schema…

Presents a new model for combining multiple sources of evidence in database merging based on logistic regression, and occurring only when ranks are available as a key to be used to merge different ranked lists obtained by various retrieval schemes. Results indicate better retrieval effectiveness than other approaches. (LRW)

Proposes a fuzzy-image database model and a concept of fuzzy space; describes fuzzy-query processing in fuzzy space and fuzzy indexing on complete fuzzy vectors; and uses an example image database, the computer-aided facial-image inference and retrieval system (CAFIIR), for explanation throughout. (Author/LRW)

Proposes local similarity pattern (LSP) as a new method for computing digital image similarity. Topics include optimizing similarity computation based on genetic algorithm; relevance feedback; and an evaluation of LSP on five databases that showed an increase in retrieval precision over other methods for computing image similarity. (Author/LRW)

Discusses traditional information retrieval through indexing terms and describes a document storage and retrieval system based on structured information, where the SGML document is transformed into Grove (Graph Representation of Property Values) and stored at an element level by an object-oriented database management system. Also discusses query…

Addresses the measurement of bias in search engines on the Web, defining bias as the balance and representation of items in a collection retrieved from a database for a set of queries. Assesses bias by measuring the deviation from the ideal of the distribution produced by a particular search engine. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of image database systems focuses on semantic queries and shows how an image is abstracted into a hierarchy of entity names and features; how relations are established between entities visible in the image; and how a "fuzzy" matching technique is used to compare semantic queries to image abstractions. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of commercial document retrieval focuses on a two-part searching procedure based on identifiable partitions. Topics include system growth and the effects of information technology; content searching on large databases, including partitioning; the granularity of context; resolving queries; document retrieval and the World Wide Web; and…

Discusses similarities between newspapers and hypertext databases; describes VOIR (Visualization of Information Retrieval), a software prototype used as an electronic newspaper workbench; presents results of empirical evaluation; and suggests implications for hypertext and information retrieval. (Author/LRW)