A Most Remarkable SOM Index

[Gerry Mckiernan]

                            _A Remarkable SOM Index_

In response to my recent posting relating to Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) 

[  http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/archive/0101/0317.html]  ,

I received the response below that describes a Most Remarkable SOM Index that has been applied SOM to access the Medline database.
The lead paragraph alone will no doubt entice you to consider the other applications of SOM. [It is reposted with the kind permission of Georgios Papadopoulos, the responder. The re-post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement]

[Over the coming weeks I will be identifying as many applications of SOM for the library and information venue and will list these in a planned new registry called: "SOM Like IT Hot! [:->] [Any candidates for this new registry will be most appreciated!]

  Regards,

/Gerry McKiernan
SOM-Time  Librarian 
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50011

                              **************************

	Hi Gerry.

	At our company, we are trying to do something
    very similar to SOMs (but with a different interface)
    for Medline and other extremely large databases.
    The funny thing is that we run the process on the
    results of the queries (on the fly) and we have
    optimized performance to such a degree that
    Medline queries return faster than in normal
    Medline. Generally in under 2 seconds and sometimes
    only a few milliseconds. All of this on a PC
    running Linux.

    We utilize the concepts that human indexers put
    in their articles and we have also developed an
    effective automated indexer (currently working
    for Medline.)

    We call the project ConceptBrowser and the tool
    which will include knowledge management and
    collaboration components will be called ScienceLine.
    Go to our site and register to be informed when
    you can start using it during the beta period.

    So, your dream is definitely close to reality.
    We are also developing other technologies
    to correlate articles based on their references
    (backward and forward) and their usage.

    Keep an eye on us as we roll out these tools
    for the biotech and pharma institutions and
    if you would like to be more involved, let me know.
    We are doing a lot of these things out of our
    deep love with digital library technology and
    it is always nice to talk with people who are
    excited about the same things.

-- Georgios Papadopoulos
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