Improving the Search for Intelligence

Returning intelligent results from a search conducted on 'unstructured' information is discussed in this article. It is not Google that is able to do these type of search results because most internet search engines simply rank the hits by their popularity, as measured by the number of other sites that link to them.

The search engine discussed uses statistical techniques to return information and phrases related to, but not necessarily including, the search terms entered. So a search for "drug dealing in supermarket car parks" will generate the expected returns, as well as related hits that mention none of those terms; it knows that Wal-Mart and Sainsbury's are supermarkets, for example, and that cannabis and crack are drugs.