Discovering and Resolving User Intent in Heterogeneous Databases

Issue title: Intelligent Systems

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Fernandes, Chris | Henschen, Lawrence

Affiliations: Department of Computer Science, Colby College, Waterville, ME 04901 (e-mail: cfernand@colby.edu) | Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201 (e-mail: henschen@ece.northwestern.edu)

Abstract: We propose a system whereby subtle semantic ambiguity found in queries of distributed heterogeneous database systems can be resolved by considering the user's intentions. Through the use of domain-specific knowledge embedded within a mediator-based architecture, subtleties in meaning can be explicitly modeled. Through the use of dynamic profiles and active dialogue, the system can discover user intent, providing more satisfying query answers.

Keywords: heterogeneous databases, mediation, intent

Journal: Fundamenta Informaticae, vol. 47, no. 1-2, pp. 137-154, 2001