Fact Retrieval for the 1980's,
Abstract
This report reviews prevailing methodologies of fact retrieval in science and technology and makes surprise-free projections for the decade to come: Numeric databases are shown to overtake in size and number the large bibliographic collections. This is expected to lead toward more sophisticated, interactive data analysis techniques with graphical display options. The availability of low-cost intelligent computer terminals, micro- and minicomputers, is shown to make aggregation and post-processing of retrieved information from different sources readily possible. This capability may come into extraction of higher forms of intelligence from text and data. The user community is seen to shift from expert information specialists, who act now as middlemen, to the end-users of information. This less experienced user community will challenge the ingenuity of system designers for self-guiding, adaptive, and yet more sophisticated man-machine interfaces. The merging of wide-band digital communication networks with computer technologies will make it possible to interconnect computers, information centers, word processors, and other peripherals, worldwide. Techniques of tabular and graphical fact retrieval are examined. The prospects of fact retrieval by voice, touch screens, and video text are discussed. The potential of two unusual three-dimensional display techniques, the computer-generated time-resolved integral hologram and the projection of virtual data images into space, are discussed. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA130799
Entities
People
- Viktor E. Hampel
Organizations
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory