Research Outlet
and Integration
The 4Cs for WWW Information Professionals -
Content, Context, Control, and Continuity
Motivation
Virtually every field of human endeavor has experienced the problems associated
with managing complex information resources. Traditional information sources
such as libraries, publications, and personal contacts are all amplified
by the rapid and broad based accessibility to the diverse business and
technical information provided by the Internet/WWW.
This new accessibility to materials presents significant challenges:
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identifying the most relevant information,
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organizing downloaded materials,
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analyzing the material's content and understanding its context, and
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assessing the quality of results with respect to user criteria.
Tracking and learning to use new technologies - search engines, desktop
authoring tools, and numerous web utilities - compounds the situation.
User experience reports to date indicate growing dissatisfaction with the
results of "surfing the Web" and probing search engines.
As yet, there is no field of "quality assurance" for the WWW.
Almost every search seems to turn up some useful information, possibly
a new connection or awareness, and sometimes a gem that saves a lot of
time or money. But just as often a dry hole is found after many hours of
chasing fruitful sounding links. While it is fun to "surf", in this day
of shorter product and service cycles, it is too costly to end up with
a dry hole. Even successful searches, or those requiring due diligence
for net coverage, can burn up considerable time organizing results in a
business-like and enduring format. Then comes the nitty-gritty, hard-to-organize
process of monitoring changes and updating a growing and complex information
structure and its paper/hypertext appearance.
What is missing is what we call the 4 "Cs" - content, context, continuity,
and control - those properties of modern information we have come to
expect and take for granted.
| Content: Subject
matter treated seriously, organized to convey significant ideas or information
to its readers, and inter-linked with related subject matter. |
Continuity: The
evolution over time and space of the content to match changes in context
as well as timeliness of the context in its reference to the content. |
| Context: Basic facts
sufficient to judge authenticity and authority, anchors in time and space
that identify the relationship of the content to other events and subjects. |
Control: Over the
process of preparing, using, and improving the content and context to achieve
continuity and assurances of quality for both process and product. |
How ROI/JV Reaches for the 4Cs
ROI (Research Outlet and Integration)/ROI JV is developing an approach
and supporting tools to better filter, organize, and analyze the output
of Web searches. Our mission is to exploit the embryonic power of the WWW
to multiply technology transfer and information utilization capabilities.
ROI/JV takes the view that the operative metaphor for business use of
the Web should be not "surfing", but rather "mining the Web" or, better
yet, "farming" it systematically over
time. ROI's goal is to improve on today's barely adequate capabilities
for surveying, prospecting, assaying, and refining the material gathered
on complex scientific and technical subjects through the following means.
A flexible but standard search process that:
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is built around models of the available Internet information,
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identifies the tasks and workflow involved,
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applies WWW-based automation, and
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gives the user proactive (not retroactive) help in assessing scope, accuracy,
and reliability of both process and search products
Comfortable for the WWW-IP, but amenable to increasing automation to provide
greater control and increased context.
Multi-level analysis of materials and sites, ranging across:
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quick sorting out of search results
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into classifications,
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to descriptive annotations,
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through in-depth assessments and comparisons
all driven by criteria derived from technology transfer methodology and
experience to provide context for content.
Packaging of results in:
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databases,
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well formatted word processing,
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report generators
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as well as live tools for replaying, updating, or extending searches
Multi-media is great, but words and data challenge our ability to control
productivity and assure quality of our WWW professional efforts.
Evolutionary tracking, for:
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finding newly introduced WWW materials,
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identifying trends in the field,
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and, especially, integration potential and identification of possible breakthroughs
to sustain continuity of our materials and processes.
Training in the above techniques, appropriate for:
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subject domain experts,
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generalists,
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corporate librarians,
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technology commercialization organizations,
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career transition individuals, etc.
providing the silent 5th C - contact.
How ROI/JV works
ROI/JV provides both services and products based on our Web capabilities.
An important part of effective technology transfer is the application of
expert knowledge to sift through and assimilate large amounts of technical
information. ROI/JV seeks to bring to bear the skills and knowledge of
subject domain experts to produce the highest quality search services and
products possible. These experts will use ROI's Web technology (twURL)
to gather, organize and analyze the results augmented with information
from traditional materials.
For More information
Copyright © 1996-1999 ROI JV
Last modified: June 23 1999
