Challenges posed by web-based retrieval of scientific papers: Okapi participation in TIPS

Abstract

This paper reviews some of the past Okapi research and discusses the role of Okapi in the current TIPS project. The main purpose is to report new challenges faced by probabilistic text retrieval in the web environment and to indicate some of the solutions that are currently under investigation. In this context, extraction of indexing units from formatted document sources, user interface design, implementation of field searching and query expansion within the framework of probabilistic searching are discussed. The problem of maintaining session continuity in the web environment and a possible solution to this problem are outlined. Other challenges posed by the open nature of the web environment are also indicated. These include the difficulty of delimiting the boundaries of a search session and the potential of the web for collaborative information retrieval. A system for collaboratively filtering documents based on their contents is described in this connection. Issues surrounding the integration of Okapi with other pieces of software being developed for the TIPS project are also briefly discussed.

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