Information storage and retrieval

Abstract

Information Storage and Retrieval (IS&R) encompasses a broad scope of topics ranging from basic techniques for accessing data to sophisticated approaches for the analysis of natural language text and the deduction of information. Within the field, three general areas of investigation can be distinguished not only by their subject matter but also by the types of individuals presently interested in them:(1) Document retrieval,(2) Generalized data management, and(3) Question-answering.A functional description which applies to each of the three areas is presented together with a survey of work being conducted. The similarities and differences of the three areas of IS&R are described. Typical systems which incorporate many of the functions and techniques are described in the appendix.