A flexible architecture for collaborative information retrieval

Many Information Retrieval techniques have been developed, but none is perfect in every case. Moreover, these techniques often differ markedly in their operation principles making them difficult to integrate in a collaborative way. The MARS system (Multi-Agent Retrieval System), was built to test the integration of multiple retrieval methods in a single system in order to offer users more flexible and complementary retrieval tools. The retrieval methods integrated in MARS include not only the classical methods, but also more intelligent ones such as retrieval based on natural language processing and conceptual browsing in a concept space generated automatically from analysis of the corpus. Each retrieval method is implemented via a retrieval agent which may operate either independently or in collaboration with others. This system concerns local retrieval as opposed to global retrieval offered by WWW, Mosaic and Wais; but it may be directly integrated in the latter to enhance access to pertinent data.