Natural language search engines and when to use them

What are natural language search engines?

The so-called "natural language search engine" allows users to submit search terms in English rather than using Boolean operators, quotes, plus signs, or other search terminology. For example: submit the word "Robert." The natural language search engine might look for "Bob" as well.

Natural language searches evaluate proximity of terms, phrase recognition, capitalization and keyword occurrence in titles, subheads, and text. If you wanted to know where Winston Churchill delivered the "Iron Curtain" speech, a natural language search engine would search for items containing the following words: winston, churchill, iron, curtain and speech.

Many search engines claim to use natural language processing when what they actually mean is that Boolean operators are not required. There is a difference. A true natural language search engine extracts the meaning of the document by reprocessing it and pulling out relevant terms. Then it compares potentially relevant documents and finds similarities. The pages are isolated. Then, the engine summarizes and analyzes potentially relevant documents, finding commonality among relevant documents.

Inktomi and many other search tools like Oingo, Lexiquest, Iphrase and Manning and Napier Information System's Map-It offer phrase detection and more advanced natural language products including concept mapping to find what you mean, not what you say. A special word about Oingo, which refers to itself as a meaning-based search tool. It tries to pull together words, meanings, and their relationship to other words, then give you back conceptbased answers. It is worth looking at.

When to use a search engine?

Search engines have several strengths. They can:

Search large numbers of documents and provide large numbers of results.
Provide huge numbers of links in their results and you can use those links to find other valuable resources.
Allow you to search the full text of most of the pages on a website.

So, with a carefully thought-out request, a search engine will help you find information you may not find elsewhere. Search engines are the preferred tool when you:

Are looking for something very specific.
Need to pin down a quick fact or two.
Need to know if any information exists at all on a subject.
Want mass quantities of links, but are not concerned about quality control.
Are doing an exhaustive search. Remember: use more than just one search engine

1. Discover the features of AltaVista and what it does best
AltaVista Around since 1995, this easy-to use search engine was one of the largest and best. While the database is the same as Yahoo!'s, ...

2. What special features make Google unique among search engines
Google special features Most of Google's special features are found on its Advanced Search page, found by clicking on the tab on the right side of the search ba...

3. Gigablast and Lycos are promising search engines
Gigablast This is a site everyone should look at. Gigablast debuted in 2002 and it offers some really nice ...

4. Take a glimpse at these great meta search tools
Kartoo A unique search tool - if you like the idea of seeing your web results visually, this meta-search site shows the results with sites being interconnected ...

5. Why search engines do not index all web pages
What search tools can't or don't access Search engines miss a lot of material. The reality is there is a vast area of material that either is not found by the s...

6. Google searches take place all over the Internet
Where do Google searches take place? Google, YouTube, Orkut, Picasa, Gmail, Google Docs, and across 40 other Google products, properties, programs, and projects. But it...

7. How a search engine like Google assembles its index
How a search engine builds its database Searching Google or another search engine really means searching the index of that site's in-house database of web pages a...