A new search tool developed by researchers at Case Western Reserve University allows for faster searches on PCs and smartphones.
The on-screen portal Conjunctive Exploratory Navigation Interface (CENI) allows users to access data by browsing through menus of topics and typing in keywords.
During the trials, the new search tool was highly preferred by anonymous testers over a keyword-based search interface and the generally accessible search interface via Google.
Case Western Reserve University Medical Informatics division chief, electrical engineering and computer science professor GQ Zhang said that most people have an iPhone or laptop that stores a wide variety of information and, often, you can’t find it when you need it, even though you know it’s there.
"Or, you go to a website where the content has been divided under different areas, and what you’re looking for fits several," Zhang said.
"If you choose one area but whoever filed the data chose another area, you may not find that information."
The new tool also allows tagging data into multiple relevant areas and offers an interface and system that leverages many tags for every single data item.
"And you can find something if you use only descriptive properties," Zhang added.
"If you’re searching for a needle and can only remember small pointy metal thing, you should still be able to find it."
