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Article
Publication date: 6 April 2012

Daniela Petrelli and Paul Clough

This paper aims to describe a study of the queries generated from a user experiment for cross‐language information retrieval (CLIR) from a historic image archive.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe a study of the queries generated from a user experiment for cross‐language information retrieval (CLIR) from a historic image archive.

Design/methodology/approach

A controlled lab‐based user study was carried out using a prototype Italian‐English image retrieval system. Participants were asked to carry out searches for 16 images provided to them, a known‐item search task. Italian speaking users generated 618 queries for a set of known‐item search tasks. User's interactions with the system were recorded and queries were analysed manually quantitatively and qualitatively. The queries generated by user's interaction with the system were analysed and the results used to suggest recommendations for the future development of cross‐language retrieval systems for digital image libraries.

Findings

Results highlight the diversity in requests for similar visual content and the weaknesses of machine translation for query translation. Through the manual translation of queries the authors show the benefits of using high‐quality translation resources. The results show the individual characteristics of users while performing known‐item searches and the overlap obtained between query terms and structured image captions, highlighting the use of user's search terms for objects within the foreground of an image.

Research limitations/implications

This research looks in depth into one case of interaction and one image repository. Despite this limitation, the discussed results are likely to be valid across other languages and image repositories.

Practical implications

To develop effective systems requires studying user's search behaviours, particularly in digital image libraries.

Originality/value

The growing quantity of digital visual material in digital libraries offers the potential to apply techniques from CLIR to provide cross‐language information access services. The value of this paper is in the provision of empirical evidence to support recommendations for effective cross‐language image retrieval system design.

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Article
Publication date: 22 March 2011

Daniela Petrelli, Vitaveska Lanfranchi, Fabio Ciravegna, Ravish Begdev and Sam Chapman

This paper seeks to describe the preliminary studies (on both users and data), the design and evaluation of the K‐Search system for searching legacy documents in aerospace…

733

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to describe the preliminary studies (on both users and data), the design and evaluation of the K‐Search system for searching legacy documents in aerospace engineering. Real‐world reports of jet engine maintenance challenge the current indexing practice, while real users' tasks require retrieving the information in the proper context. K‐Search is currently in use in Rolls‐Royce plc and has evolved to include other tools for knowledge capture and management.

Design/methodology/approach

Semantic Web techniques have been used to automatically extract information from the reports while maintaining the original context, allowing a more focused retrieval than with more traditional techniques. The paper combines semantic search with classical information retrieval to increase search effectiveness. An innovative user interface has been designed to take advantage of this hybrid search technique. The interface is designed to allow a flexible and personal approach to searching legacy data.

Findings

The user evaluation showed that the system is effective and well received by users. It also shows that different people look at the same data in different ways and make different use of the same system depending on their individual needs, influenced by their job profile and personal attitude.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on a specific case of an enterprise working in aerospace engineering. Although the findings are likely to be shared with other engineering domains (e.g. mechanical, electronic), the study does not expand the evaluation to different settings.

Originality/value

The study shows how real context of use can provide new and unexpected challenges to researchers and how effective solutions can then be adopted and used in organizations.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 63 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

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Article
Publication date: 14 August 2009

Daniela Petrelli and Hazel Wright

The purpose of this paper is to describe a study set up to investigate and map the landscape of digital writing today. A holistic perspective has been adopted involving writers…

1818

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a study set up to investigate and map the landscape of digital writing today. A holistic perspective has been adopted involving writers, readers and publishers alike.

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses a qualitative approach and combines interviews and direct observations. In in‐depth interviews 13 participants (four writers, four publishers, three readers and two on‐line readers) were questioned for their opinions on issues related to writing, publishing and reading digital fiction. The three readers were also observed while interacting, for the first time, with three digital stories.

Findings

Results show that the area is still unsettled though much excitement surrounds experimentations and freedom of publishing online. Readers seem uneasy with the role of co‐creators that writers want to assign them and prefer linear stories to more deconstructed ones. Writers like to experiment and combine multiple media and readers like to interact with multimedia stories; this seems to open interesting perspectives over interactive narrative. Publishers are not yet involved in digital writing and this is seen simultaneously as a blessing (unfiltering of innovative ideas) and a curse (lack of economical support, lack of quality selection). Despite disagreement and ambiguity all interviewees agree that digital fiction will come, likely prompted by new reading technology.

Originality/value

This paper is the first attempt to understand the phenomena of digital writing taking into consideration the perspectives of writers, readers and publishers simultaneously and comparing their different views.

Details

Library Review, vol. 58 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 25 April 2008

Daniela Petrelli and Daniel Auld

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an initial understanding of the constraints that historical video collections pose to video retrieval technology and the potential that online…

1423

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an initial understanding of the constraints that historical video collections pose to video retrieval technology and the potential that online access offers to both archive and users. Design/methodology/approach – A small and unique collection of videos on customs and folklore was used as a case study. Multiple methods were employed to investigate the effectiveness of technology and the modality of user access. Automatic keyframe extraction was tested on the visual content while the audio stream was used for automatic classification of speech and music clips. The user access (search vs browse) was assessed in a controlled user evaluation. A focus group and a survey provided insight on the actual use of the analogue archive. The results of these multiple studies were then compared and integrated (triangulation). Findings – The amateur material challenged automatic techniques for video and audio indexing, thus suggesting that the technology must be tested against the material before deciding on a digitisation strategy. Two user interaction modalities, browsing vs searching, were tested in a user evaluation. Results show users preferred searching, but browsing becomes essential when the search engine fails in matching query and indexed words. Browsing was also valued for serendipitous discovery; however the organisation of the archive was judged cryptic and therefore of limited use. This indicates that the categorisation of an online archive should be thought of in terms of users who might not understand the current classification. The focus group and the survey showed clearly the advantage of online access even when the quality of the video surrogate is poor. The evidence gathered suggests that the creation of a digital version of a video archive requires a rethinking of the collection in terms of the new medium: a new archive should be specially designed to exploit the potential that the digital medium offers. Similarly, users' needs have to be considered before designing the digital library interface, as needs are likely to be different from those imagined. Originality/value – This paper is the first attempt to understand the advantages offered and limitations held by video retrieval technology for small video archives like those often found in special collections.

Details

Program, vol. 42 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0033-0337

Keywords

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