Position: Head of School
Current Research Base:
The information retrieval research group at The Robert Gordon University is
developing tools and techniques for efficient and effective retrieval of
multimedia information. We are designing and implementing object-oriented
frameworks, which integrate the functionality of information retrieval (IR)
systems, database systems and hypermedia systems, and which will form the
basis for a broad variety of IR applications. The frameworks are
implemented using a state-of-the-art distributed object data management
system. We are particularly interested in multimedia image/text retrieval;
advanced text indexing and retrieval methods; and the design and
implementation of useful and usable tools for the end-users of IR
applications.
In each of our areas of interest we are faced with the problems of
evaluating multimedia and/or interactive information retrieval
applications. We are developing a system for storing and retrieving
photographic material, and consequently must evaluate such a system both
from the user perspective and the system perspective. Task-oriented
information retrieval is currently being researched. We are planning to
carry out formative evaluations of how searchers use interactive displays
to externalize their working memory while seeking information and making
sense of it. We are generally concerned with broadening the scope on IR
evaluation with a view opening up new avenues of IR research.
In terms of manpower, the group consists of one academic, two full-time
researchers and one graduate student, and it also receives input from a
larger number of researchers and graduate students within the school. In
terms of technical capabilities, the group makes use of SUN servers (Sparc
1000, Sparc 20 and Sparc 10) and has up to 18Gb of storage available for
working with very large "document" collections.
Experience in Research and Development:
Professor David J. Harper is Head of the School of Computer and
Mathematical Sciences at The Robert Gordon University, and he leads the
Information Retrieval research group. He has worked in various research
and academic posts in Australia, Ireland and Scotland. His research
interests include information retrieval and object data management in
distributed systems. He has participated in a number of major EC-funded R+D
projects including Minstrel (ESPRIT I) and Comandos (ESPRIT I and II). At
the University College Dublin, Ireland, he was project leader for the
University of the EC-funded ESPRIT I Project entitled "Models for
Information Storage and Retrieval" (Minstrel). He co-ordinated a work
package on data modelling which included work on office data models,
specification and retrieval of office documents, and office task
management.
The Robert Gordon University is collaborating with UBILAB, Union Bank of
Switzerland, Zurich, on the FIRE project (Frameworks for Information
REtrieval applications).
References:
[1] D.J. Harper and D.M. Walker.
ECLAIR: an Extensible Class Library for Information Retrieval.
Computer Journal, 35(3):256--276, 1992.
[2] P.D. Bruza and J.J IJdens.
Efficient Probabilistic Inference through Index Expression Belief Networks.
In Proceedings of the Seventh Australian Joint Conference on
Artificial Intelligence (AI94), pages 592--599. World Scientific, 1994.
[3] David G. Hendry.
Breakdowns in writing intentions when simultaneously deploying sgml-marked texts in hard copy and electronic copy.
Behaviour & Information Technology, in press.
[4] David G. Hendry and David J. Harper.
Coordinating information seeking on interactive displays.
In 2nd International Conference on Electronic Library and Visual
Information Research, Submitted November 1994.
[5] J.J. IJdens, P.D. Bruza, and D.J. Harper.
Probabilistic Inference Experiments using the ECLAIR System.
In Eighteenth Annual ACM SIGIR Conference on Research and
Development in Information Retrieval, Submitted December 1994.
[6] J.M. Jose and D.J. Harper.
An Integrated Approach to Image Retrieval.
In 17th Annual BCS IRSG Colloquium.Submitted January 1995.