Internet search: Subdivision-based interactive query expansion and the soft semantic web

The expansion of the Internet has made the task of searching a crucial one. Internet users, however, have to make a great effort in order to formulate a search query that returns the required results. Many methods have been devised to assist in this task by helping the users modify their query to give better results. In this paper we propose an interactive method for query expansion. It is based on the observation that documents are often found to contain terms with high information content, which can summarise their subject matter. We present experimental results, which demonstrate that our approach significantly shortens the time required in order to accomplish a certain task by performing web searches.     

Future Internet technologies for environmental applications

This paper investigates the usability of Future Internet technologies (aka “Generic Enablers of the Future Internet”) in the context of environmental applications. The paper incorporates the best aspects of the state-of-the-art in environmental informatics with geospatial solutions and scalable processing capabilities of Internet-based tools. It specifically targets the promotion of the “Environmental Observation Web” as an observation-centric paradigm for building the next generation of environmental applications. In the Environmental Observation Web, the great majority of data are considered as observations. These can be generated from sensors (hardware), numerical simulations (models), as well as by humans (human sensors). Independently from the observation provenance and application scope, data can be represented and processed in a standardised way in order to understand environmental processes and their interdependencies. The development of cross-domain applications is then leveraged by technologies such as Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Big Data Processing and Analytics. For example, “the cloud” can satisfy the peak-performance needs of applications which may occasionally use large amounts of processing power at a fraction of the price of a dedicated server farm. The paper also addresses the need for Specific Enablers that connect mainstream Future Internet capabilities with sensor and geospatial technologies. Main categories of such Specific Enablers are described with an overall architectural approach for developing environmental applications and exemplar use cases.     

Web search behavior of Internet experts and newbies

Searching for relevant information on the World Wide Web is often a laborious and frustrating task for casual and experienced users. To help improve searching on the Web based on a better understanding of user characteristics, we investigate what types of knowledge are relevant for Web-based information seeking, and which knowledge structures and strategies are involved. Two experimental studies are presented, which address these questions from different angles and with different methodologies. In the first experiment, 12 established Internet experts are first interviewed about search strategies and then perform a series of realistic search tasks on the World Wide Web. From this study a model of information seeking on the World Wide Web is derived and then tested in a second study. In the second experiment two types of potentially relevant types of knowledge are compared directly. Effects of Web experience and domain-specific background knowledge are investigated with a series of search tasks in an economics-related domain (introduction of the Euro currency). We find differential and combined effects of both Web experience and domain knowledge: while successful search performance requires the combination of the two types of expertise, specific strategies directly related to Web experience or domain knowledge can be identified.     

Collaborative web search: a robustness analysis

Collaborative web search utilises past search histories in a community of like-minded users to improve the quality of search results. Search results that have been selected by community members for past queries are promoted in response to similar queries that occur in the future. The I-SPY system is one example of such a collaborative approach to search. As is the case with all open systems, however, it is difficult to establish the integrity of those who access a system and thus the potential for malicious attack exists. In this paper we investigate the robustness of the I-SPY system to attack. In particular, we consider attack scenarios whereby malicious agents seek to promote particular result pages within a community. In addition, we analyse robustness in the context of community homogeneity, and we show that this key characteristic of communities has implications for system robustness.     

Analysis and case study on multi-dimensional scalability of the Internet architecture

This paper presents the definition of multi-dimensional scalability of the Internet architecture, and puts forward a mathematical method to evaluate Internet scalability based on a variety of constraints. Then, the method is employed to study the Internet scalability problem in performance, scale and service scalability. Based on the examples, theoretical analysis and experimental simulation are conducted to address the scalability issue. The results show that the proposed definition and evaluation method of multi-dimensional Internet scalability can effectively evaluate the scalability of the Internet in every aspect, thus providing rational suggestions and methods for evaluation of the next generation Internet architecture.     

On retrieving information from external knowledge stores: Feeling-of-findability,feeling-of-knowing and Internet search

The ease with which individuals can access information has changed drastically with the advent of the Internet. Understanding how this change in our information landscape influences thinking represents an important question for psychological science. Research has demonstrated that we have a fairly accurate sense of the relative availability of internal information – a feeling-of-knowing. Here we examine the extent to which individuals have developed a sense of the relative availability of information stored on the Internet (i.e., externally) – a feeling-of-findability. Results demonstrate that when individuals do not know the answer to a question their feeling-of-findability accurately predicts the amount of time it takes them to locate the answer on the Internet. Furthermore, this feeling-of-findability, when individuals do not know the answer to a question, is unrelated to individuals’ feeling-of-knowing, despite the fact that the latter is also demonstrated to predict search times. Instead, feeling-of-findability appears to be predicted by intuitions about how difficult it will be to generate a successful search query and the popularity of the type of information sought.     

面向物联网的实体实时搜索服务综述*

物联网技术已经成为新一代信息技术的重要组成部分,在很多领域中得到成功应用,而面向物联网的实体搜索服务必定是未来物联网技术的又一重大应用,将会给人们的生活带来极大便利。全面总结了面向物联网实体搜索服务的内容、特点、基本策略、实现方式,并对现有典型系统进行分析。最后给出了该领域的进一步研究方向。     

Ambient interaction and situational influence: case studies in public sites

Abstract

An audience's direct physical intervention is widely believed to be instrumental in the field of interactive art. However, this long established expectation faces new challenges through the increasing accessibility of a growing diversity of interactive technologies and ubiquitous smart media. Such innovations are often fully integrated components of interactive public artworks, many of which do not directly involve audiences or individuals as key agents in the functional or aesthetic realisation of the work. Based on three case studies of interactive artworks in public places, this article identifies an important characteristic of interactivity in interactive art, through the largely unexplored concept of “Ambient Interaction” in which artworks are embodied and enacted through environmental conditions and situational influences rather than exclusively through people's intentional and direct physical engagement.     

Self-efficacy about information retrieval on the web across all domains: a short measure in French and English

Considering developments on the measurement of Internet Self-Efficacy literature, a short scale was developed with a focus on web searching across all domains. The Information Retrieval On the Web Self-Efficacy scale (IROWSE) was spread from the General Self-Efficacy Scale [Schwarzer, R. 1994. “Optimism, Vulnerability, and Self-Beliefs as Health Related Cognitions: A Systematic Overview.” Psychology and Health: An International 9: 161–180] and measures the value attributed by an individual to her/his own capacity to organise and execute information searches on the web. In study 1 (N?=?228), we aimed to ensure reliability, explore factorial structure, and check for criterion-related validity of a French form. In study 2 (N?=?534), we aimed to validate an English version among US and international (non-US) sample. From an internal validity point of view, both IROWSE versions turned out satisfactory with a one-factor model of eight items. As expected, the scales were not confused with self-esteem as a trait (study 1), self-reported Internet search skills (study 2) or general attitudes towards the Internet, and stemmed from direct experience with the Internet (study 1 and 2). Overall, slight differences between samples would indicate the cultural sensitivity of IROWSE measure encouraging running studies with a comparative approach. Resorting to the IROWSE measure might enhance the understanding of Internet practices, information retrieval behaviours, and search performance since self-efficacy would thus be assessed at a more domain-specific level.     

Exploring the roles of education and Internet search experience in students' Internet-specific epistemic beliefs

The main purpose of this study was to explore the role of education and Internet search experience in students' Internet-specific epistemic beliefs while searching for course-related information on the Internet. The Chinese version of the Internet-Specific Epistemic Questionnaire (C-ISEQ) was utilized to evaluate participants' epistemic beliefs regarding the uncertainty, complicity, and source of Internet-based knowledge as well as the justification of Internet-based knowing. A total of 1070 students with educational levels ranging from junior high school to undergraduate were surveyed. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships of education and Internet search experience with students' Internet-specific epistemic beliefs. In addition, the interaction effect between years of education and Internet search experience was recruited in the regression model to explore its correlations with Internet-specific epistemic beliefs. The results showed that years of education were positively correlated to uncertainty and source of Internet-based knowledge as well as justification of Internet-based knowing. Also, Internet search experience had negative relations with uncertainty, complexity and source of Internet-based knowledge; however, it was positively related to justification of Internet-based knowing. In addition, the interaction effect between years of education and Internet search experience was significantly linked to justification of Internet-based knowing. The results of this study highlight the importance of education in students' development of Internet-specific epistemic beliefs. Implications for further research and Internet-based instruction are discussed.     

Web search engine: Characteristics of user behaviors and their implication

In this paper, first studied are the distribution characteristics of user behaviors based on log data from a massive web search engine. Analysis shows that stochastic distribution of user queries accords with the characteristics of power-law function and exhibits strong similarity, and the user' s queries and clicked URLs present dramatic locality, which implies that query cache and 'hot click' cache can be employed to improve system performance. Then three typical cache replacement policies are compared, including LRU, FIFO, and LFU with attenuation. In addition, the distribution character-istics of web information are also analyzed, which demonstrates that the link popularity and replica pop-ularity of a URL have positive influence on its importance. Finally, variance between the link popularity and user popularity, and variance between replica popularity and user popularity are analyzed, which give us some important insight that helps us improve the ranking algorithms in a search engine.     

From broadcast television to Internet audio/video: techniques and tools for VCR‐style interactivity

One of the new applications evolving in the Internet is streaming audio/video. A major reason for its growing popularity is interest in the compelling new services that become possible. Prototype services are being developed which are new to the Internet but offer the same look, feel, and functionality that have traditionally only been found in services delivered via other communication medium, e.g. broadcast television. In addition, the Internet is evolving to offer ‘value‐added’ services, like streaming audio/video with VCR‐style interactivity and embedded hyperlinks. We are poised both on seeing the development of new paradigms for interacting with audio/video, and on seeing the merging of broadcast television and Internet‐based broadcasts. Before this process can be considered successful, a number of technical challenges, derived from the various ways in which content is physically delivered, must be solved. In this paper, we focus on the value‐added service of VCR interactivity. VCR interactivity has long been a challenge for both broadcast television and streamed Internet audio/video. The challenge is how to provide individualized playout for content being streamed to a large group of users using one‐to‐many delivery. While some new companies are starting to offer devices which provide this kind of service for broadcast television, there are still numerous technical challenges for the Internet‐based version of a similar service. This paper has a three‐fold objective. First, we describe the types of services available in the traditional broadcast infrastructure and compare these to the types of services that are deployed or possible in Internet‐based services. Second, we describe our attempts to implement some of the more challenging and novel service types. In particular, we examine client‐based control of programs streamed over the Internet to tens, thousands, or even millions of users. Finally, we discuss the impact of these services on the protocols and applications used to support Internet‐based, multi‐party conferencing. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Towards a new approach to query search engines: the Search Tree visual language

In this paper, we describe theit Search Tree visual language. It is a novel methodology able to support users to build up complex queries to be run on given search engines. For using this visual language, neither parentheses nor precedence rules are needed, nor the specific ability to perform advanced search tasks. The language is proven to have the same expressive power as the expressions in Sum Of Product form. In order to prove the appropriateness of our proposal, we measured the usability of the proposed querying approach against the traditional Yahoo ^TM web search query language. Results show that, even if both the approaches fully support users in terms of efficacy, the Search Tree visual language significantly improves task efficiency, both in terms of the number of actions performed and the time requested with respect to the advanced search interface. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

一个高效的层次型搜索引擎模型及应用

在分析了传统FTP搜索引擎在处理资源的时效性不足的基础上,提出了一个高效的层次型结构FTP动态搜索引擎系统模型,通过建立网络节点空间,改进信息搜索策略与存储机制,引入区域负责机制与非同步检索的概念,提高搜索速度与搜索准确率,保证了搜索结果在检索请求提交时的有效性与可靠性。     

网络爬虫在Web信息搜索与数据挖掘中应用

分析了万维网不良网络信息对网络文化安全带来的挑战,提出了Web信息搜索与数据挖掘体系结构,并介绍了该体系结构中的关键技术和运行原理.分析了普通爬虫所实现的功能和不足之后,重点论述了该爬虫的工作原理、实现方式和性能分析以及该爬虫不同于其它爬虫的功能和在Web信息搜索与数据挖掘体系中应用.通过试验测试表明,该爬虫能够很好地获取万维网上的各种信息资源,有助于网络文化内容监测与管理.     

基于搜索引擎调用的主题搜索设计与实现

网络搜索是目前从因特网上获取信息的主要手段,而网络蜘蛛又是大多数网络搜索工具获取网络信息的主要方法,主题搜索策略是专业搜索引擎的核心技术.通过研究网络蜘蛛的工作原理,分析了网络蜘蛛的搜索策略和搜索优化措施,设计出一种将限制搜索深度.多线程技术和正则表达式匹配方法结合一起的网络蜘蛛,实验结果表明该方法能够快速而准确地搜索所需的相关主题信息.     

语音识别浏览器VoiceIE设计与实现

语音识别浏览器VoiceIE提供一种全新的语音方式进行Internet WWW浏览适合各类办公自动化系统，特别是其于嵌入式系统的信息家电、PDA等应用领域。本文首先介绍VioceIE的系统结构及功能，然后阐述语音识别模块和浏览器模块的设计与实现方法，对浏览操作与窗口管理中基于COM编程和Internet API 运用，语音信号实时检测与识别中MIC API与互信息匹配模型MIC的运用，以及语音识别模块与浏览器模埠的数据通信等进行了描述。     

Beyond search and communication: Development and validation of the Internet Self-efficacy Scale (ISS)

Internet self-efficacy is a pivotal construct for understanding a wide range of online activities. Human activity has been developing in new directions along with the evolution of the Internet over the last few decades. A self-efficacy measure which might appropriately reflect these changes is still lacking in the literature. To address this research gap, the current study developed the Internet Self-efficacy Scale (ISS) and tested its validity and reliability. A sample of 349 undergraduate students completed an assessment battery including the ISS. A 17-item five-factor model was extracted from an EFA. Using a CFA, the 17-item five-factor model obtained from the EFA was cross-validated and the results revealed acceptable model fits where χ²(df = 107) = 198.987, NFI = .918, CFI = .960, and RMESA = .067 (95% C.I.; 052, .081). Also, the ISS showed good convergent validity, evidenced by the significant relationships with Internet outcome expectancy and Internet anxiety.     

Influence mechanism of icon semantics on visual search performance: Evidence from an eye-tracking study

Explicit icon semantics can reduce the difficulty of understanding complex visual information. Optimizing the icon semantics and text semantics of icons can effectively improve the cognitive performance of digital interfaces. This paper adopts visual search tasks to study the effects of different combinations of icon semantic familiarity and the presence or absence of text on icon search performance under horizontal and vertical layouts. The behavioral experiment results show that under two layouts: 1. The main effect of icon semantics is significant, and the search performance increases with the increase of semantic familiarity. 2. The main effect of text is significant, and the search performance is negatively correlated with the addition of text. The eye movement experiment found that the semantic familiarity of icons had a significant impact on average fixation time. Furthermore, the number of fixation points changed significantly after the text variable was added. Therefore, there was no significant difference in the number of fixation points in the horizontal layout, and icon semantics was the main influencing factor in visual search. In the vertical layout, there was no significant difference in average fixation time, and text was the main influencing factor of visual search. The results show that the semantic familiarity of icons and different combinations with or without text significantly affect visual search performance in horizontal and vertical layouts. This paper provides a theoretical reference for the combination of icons and text in interface design.