Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (0)

Powerful Searching with PowerSet
May 16, 2008

PowerSet thinks they have what it takes to change the way we search. Based on the (admittedly limited) capabilities of their test environment, they might just be right.  The search engine is doing some really interesting things with natural language queries to try and determine the desired meaning of a search as opposed to just looking at the words used. For now, the results are only coming from Wikipedia and Freebase, but the test site still provides a nice demonstration of the capabilities.

For example, ask PowerSet "What did Tamora Pierce write?" and it will return a page filled with relevant and detailed information. From a scrolling set of book covers to quick Factz gleaned from Wikipedia. Of course, the necessity to refer to information from Wikipedia as "factz" like it is some sort of "processed information product" or "information flavored juice drink" should be the source of endless library humor. Climbing down from our collective high horse, however, let me stress that this is a really good thing. PowerSet acknowledges that Wikipedia's information may not be absolutely accurate (fact) but that it represents a generally accepted best guess (factz).

So while you may want to snicker away, first I suggest heading over to PowerSet and giving their test engine a sample run. Though limited in scope, it provides a wonderful set of extensions for using Wikipedia including automatic outlining and Factz extraction. For example, check out the enhanced view of information about Melvil Dewey.

Posted by Chris Harris on May 16, 2008 | Comments (0)