Information retrieval: Introduction to INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

Introduction to IR

•IR: representation, storage, organization of, and access to information items
•Focus is on the user information need
•User information need:
–Find all docs containing information on college tennis teams which: (1) are maintained by a USA university and (2) participate in the NCAA tournament.
•Emphasis is on the retrieval of information (not data)

•Data retrieval
–which docs contain a set of keywords?
–Well defined semantics
–a single erroneous object implies failure!
•Information retrieval
–information about a subject or topic
–semantics is frequently loose
–small errors are tolerated
•IR system:
–interpret contents of information items
–generate a ranking which reflects relevance
–notion of relevance is most important

•IR at the center of the stage
–IR in the last 20 years:
•classification and categorization
•systems and languages
•user interfaces and visualization
–Still, area was seen as of narrow interest
–Advent of the Web changed this perception once and for all
•universal repository of knowledge
•free (low cost) universal access
•no central editorial board
•many problems though: IR seen as key to finding the solutions!