Dynamic queries are a novel approach to information seeking that may enable users to cope with information overload. They allow users to see an overview of the database, rapidly (100 msec updates) explore and conveniently filter out unwanted information. Users fly through information spaces by incrementally adjusting a query (with sliders, buttons, and other filters) while continuously viewing the changing results. Dynamic queries on the chemical table of elements, computer directories, and a real estate database were built and tested in three separate exploratory experiments. These results show statistically significant performance improvements and user enthusiasm more commonly seen with video games. Widespread application seems possible but research issues remain in database and display algorithms, and user interface design. Challenges include methods for rapidly displaying and changing many points, colors, and areas; multidimensional pointing; incorporation of sound and visual displ...

We designed, implemented, and evaluated a new concept for visualizing and searching databases utilizing direct manipulation called dynarruc queries. Dynamic queries allow users to formulate queries by adjusting graphical widgets, such as sliders, and see the results immediately. By providing a graphical visualization of the database and search results, users can find trends and exceptions easily. User testing was done with eighteen undergraduate students who performed significantly faster using a dynamic queries interface compared to both a natural language system and paper printouts. The interfaces were used to explore a real-estate database and find homes meeting specific search criteria. 1

The Information Visualization and Exploration Environment (IVEE) is a system for automatic creation of dynamic queries applications. IVEE imports database relations and automatically creates environments holding visualizations and query devices. IVEE offers multiple visualizations such as maps and starfields, and multiple query devices, such as sliders, alphasliders, and toggles. Arbitrary graphical objects can be attached to database objects in visualizations. Multiple visualizations may be active simultaneously. Users can interactively lay out and change between types of query devices. Users may retrieve details-on-demand by clicking on visualization objects. An HTML file may be provided along with the database, specifying how details-ondemand information should be presented, allowing for presentation of multimedia information in database objects. Finally, multiple IVEE clients running on separate workstations on a network can communicate by letting one users actions affect the visua...

In this paper we review studies of the growth of the Internet and technologies that are useful for information search and retrieval on the Web. We present data on the Internet from several different sources, e.g., current as well as projected number of users, hosts, and Web sites. Although numerical figures vary, overall trends cited

The Apt Decision agent learns user preferences in the domain of rental real estate by observing the user's critique of apartment features. Users provide a small number of criteria in the initial interaction, receive a display of sample apartments, and then react to any feature of any apartment independently, in any order. Users learn which features are important to them as they discover the details of specific apartments. The agent uses interactive learning techniques to build a profile of user preferences, which can then be saved and used in further retrievals. Because the user's actions in specifying preferences are also used by the agent to create a profile, the result is an agent that builds a profile without redundant or unnecessary effort on the user's part.

There are numerous problems associated with formulating queries on networked information systems. These include increased data volume and complexity, accompanied by slow network access. This paper proposes a new approach to a network query user interfaces that consists of two phases: query preview and query refinement. This new approach is based on the concepts of dynamic queries and query previews, which guides users in rapidly and dynamically eliminating undesired records, reducing the data volume to a manageable size, and refining queries locally before submission over a network. Examples of two applications are given: a Restaurant Finder and a prototype for NASA's Earth Observing Systems--Data Information Systems (EOSDIS). Data architecture is discussed and user feedback is presented. Final version 2 Keywords: user interface, direct manipulation, dynamic query, information system, metadata, query preview, query refinement, science data, NASA EOSDIS. 1. INTRODUCTION The explorat...

This paper introduces the special issue of Knowledge-Based Systems on HumanComputer Collaboration (HCC). It derives a set of fundamental issues from a definition of collaboration, introduces two major approaches to HCC, and surveys each approach, showing how it formulates and addresses the issues. It concludes by proposing some themes that should characterize a unified approach to human-computer collaboration. 1 Introduction Collaboration is a process in which two or more agents work together to achieve shared goals. Thirty researchers came together in Raleigh, North Carolina in October of 1993 for a AAAI Fall Symposium dedicated to this topic. The goal of the symposium was to achieve a better understanding of Human-Computer Collaboration (HCC), collaboration involving at least one human and one computational agent. In particular, the symposium sought to explore the fundamental nature of collaborative problem solving, understand the constraints brought to bear by the differing charac...

In a networked information system, there are three major obstacles facing users in a querying process: network performance, data volume and data complexity. In order to overcome these obstacles, we propose a two-phase approach to dynamic query formulation by volume preview. The two phases are the Query Preview and Query Refinement. In the Query Preview phase, users formulate an initial query by selecting desired attribute values. The volume of matching data sets is shown graphically on preview bars which aid users to rapidly eliminate undesired data sets, and focus on a manageable number of relevant data sets. Query previews also prevent wasted steps by eliminating zero-hit queries. When the estimated number of data sets is low enough, the initial query is submitted to the network, which returns the metadata of the data sets for further refinement in the Query Refinement phase. The two-phase approach to query formulation overcomes slow network performance, and reduces the data volume ...

We have previously described an extension of the vector retrieval method called "Latent Semantic Indexing" (LSI) (Deerwester, et al., 1990; Dumais, et al., 1988; Furnas, et al., 1988). The LSI approach partially overcomes the problem of variability in human word choice by automatically organizing objects into a "semantic" structure more appropriate for information retrieval. This is done by modeling the implicit higher-order structure in the association of terms with objects. Initial tests find this completely automatic method to be a promising way to improve users' access to many kinds of textual materials or to objects for which textual descriptions are available. This paper describes some enhancements to the basic LSI method, including differential term weighting and relevance feedback. Appropriate term weighting improves performance by an average of 40%, and feedback based on 3 relevant documents improves performance by an average of 67%. September 1, 1992 D R A F T Dumais - 2 1....

Essential features of interfaces to support end-user information seeking are discussed and illustrated. Ex-amples of interfaces to support the following basic information-seeking functions are presented: problem definition, source selection, problem articulation, exami-nation of results, and information extraction. It is argued that present interfaces focus on problem articulation and examination of results functions, and research and development are needed to support the problem defini-tion and information extraction functions. General rec-ommendations for research on interfaces to support end-user information seeking include: attention to multi-media information sources, development of interfaces that integrate information-seeking functions, support for collaborative information seeking, use of multiple