Convergence of Classical Search and Semantic Technologies – Evidences from a Practical Case in the Chemical Industry

Abstract

With their expanding information assets and the growing importance of the knowledge factor, organizations are increasingly challenged to efficiently support knowledge management processes with appropriate structuring and retrieval technologies. Besides traditional information retrieval approaches, the use of semantic technologies like Topic Maps is also becoming more important. This paper compares the potential value of all these approaches, technological requirements, and applications. Thereafter, appropriate recommendations are derived for the most suitable choice of technology. In addition, early experiences from a practical case in the chemical industry provide further insights into the applicability of these recommendations in practice.