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  • © 1998

Information Retrieval: Uncertainty and Logics

Advanced Models for the Representation and Retrieval of Information

Part of the book series: The Information Retrieval Series (INRE, volume 4)

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Table of contents (12 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxi
  2. Genesis

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. A Non-Classical Logic for Information Retrieval

      • Cornelis Joost van Rijsbergen
      Pages 3-13
  3. Logical Models of Information Retrieval

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 15-15
    2. Toward a Broader Logical Model for Information Retrieval

      • Jian-Yun Nie, Francois Lepage
      Pages 17-38
    3. Preferential Models of Query by Navigation

      • Peter Bruza, Bernd van Linder
      Pages 73-96
    4. Mirlog: A Logic for Multimedia Information Retrieval

      • Carlo Meghini, Fabrizio Sebastiani, Umberto Straccia
      Pages 151-185
  4. Uncertainty Models of Information Retrieval

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 187-187
    2. Semantic Information Retrieval

      • Gianni Amati, Keith van Rijsbergen
      Pages 189-219
    3. Information Retrieval with Probabilistic Datalog

      • Thomas Rölleke, Norbert Fuhr
      Pages 221-245
    4. Simplicity and Information Retrieval

      • Gianni Amati, Keith van Rijsbergen
      Pages 281-293
  5. Meta-Models of Information Retrieval

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 295-295
    2. Towards an Axiomatic Aboutness Theory for Information Retrieval

      • Theo Huibers, Bernd Wondergem
      Pages 297-318
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 319-323

About this book

In recent years, there have been several attempts to define a logic for information retrieval (IR). The aim was to provide a rich and uniform representation of information and its semantics with the goal of improving retrieval effectiveness. The basis of a logical model for IR is the assumption that queries and documents can be represented effectively by logical formulae. To retrieve a document, an IR system has to infer the formula representing the query from the formula representing the document. This logical interpretation of query and document emphasizes that relevance in IR is an inference process.
The use of logic to build IR models enables one to obtain models that are more general than earlier well-known IR models. Indeed, some logical models are able to represent within a uniform framework various features of IR systems such as hypermedia links, multimedia data, and user's knowledge. Logic also provides a common approach to the integration of IR systems with logical database systems. Finally, logic makes it possible to reason about an IR model and its properties. This latter possibility is becoming increasingly more important since conventional evaluation methods, although good indicators of the effectiveness of IR systems, often give results which cannot be predicted, or for that matter satisfactorily explained.
However, logic by itself cannot fully model IR. The success or the failure of the inference of the query formula from the document formula is not enough to model relevance in IR. It is necessary to take into account the uncertainty inherent in such an inference process. In 1986, Van Rijsbergen proposed the uncertainty logical principle to model relevance as an uncertain inference process. When proposing the principle, Van Rijsbergen was not specific about which logic and which uncertainty theory to use. As a consequence, various logics and uncertainty theories have been proposed and investigated. The choice of an appropriate logic and uncertainty mechanism has been a main research theme in logical IR modeling leading to a number of logical IR models over the years.
Information Retrieval: Uncertainty and Logics contains a collection of exciting papers proposing, developing and implementing logical IR models. This book is appropriate for use as a text for a graduate-level course on Information Retrieval or Database Systems, and as a reference for researchers and practitioners in industry.

Editors and Affiliations

  • University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland

    Fabio Crestani, Mounia Lalmas, Cornelis Joost Rijsbergen

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Information Retrieval: Uncertainty and Logics

  • Book Subtitle: Advanced Models for the Representation and Retrieval of Information

  • Editors: Fabio Crestani, Mounia Lalmas, Cornelis Joost Rijsbergen

  • Series Title: The Information Retrieval Series

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5617-6

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Kluwer Academic Publishers 1998

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7923-8302-4Published: 31 October 1998

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4613-7570-8Published: 22 December 2012

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4615-5617-6Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 1871-7500

  • Series E-ISSN: 2730-6836

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXI, 323

  • Topics: Information Storage and Retrieval, Data Structures and Information Theory, Mathematical Logic and Foundations

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access