Math information retrieval: user requirements and prototype implementation

ABSTRACT

We report on the user requirements study and preliminary implementation phases in creating a digital library that indexes and retrieves educational materials on math. We first review the current approaches and resources for math retrieval, then report on the interviews of a small group of potential users to properly ascertain their needs. While preliminary, the results suggest that meta-search and resource categorization are two basic requirements for a math search engine. In addition, we implement a prototype categorization system and show that the generic features work well in identifying the math contents from the webpage but perform less well at categorizing them. We discuss our long term goals, where we plan to investigate how math expressions and text search may be best integrated.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.3 INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
      H.3.3 Information Search and Retrieval

Additional Classification:
  A. General Literature
  A.1 INTRODUCTORY AND SURVEY

  J. Computer Applications
  J.2 PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING
      Subjects: Mathematics and statistics

General Terms:
Algorithms, Performance

Keywords:
interaction histories, math information retrieval, niche search engines, user requirement analysis, web classification