Blended results integrates news, video & images
Jon Brodkin
Google is taking a different approach to search that will give users an integrated set of results composed of videos, images, news, maps, books and websites, the company announced yesterday.
Currently, Google prompts users to search separately for images, videos, news, maps and books. But the world's biggest web search company has revealed that it’s taking initial steps toward a "universal search model" that would combine results from all those formats. But it won't happen overnight.
"At first, universal search results may be subtle," Google said. "Over time users will recognise additional types of content integrated into their search results."
A user who searches for the Star Wars villain Darth Vader is probably interested in images and videos, not just web pages that mention the movie, Google noted.
"Google will now deliver a single set of blended search results that include a humorous parody of the movie, images of the Darth Vader character, news reports on the latest Lucas film, as well as websites focused on the actor James Earl Jones - all ranked in order of relevance to the query," Google stated. "Users no longer have to visit several different Google search properties to find such a wide array of information on the topic."
Google is implementing a new technical infrastructure that will let its search engine handle the computationally intensive tasks required for this project, the company said. Google has also added navigation links above search results to suggest additional relevant information. "For example, a search for 'python' will now generate links to Google Blog Search, Google Book Search, Google Groups and Google Code," the company stated.
The idea is to make searching simpler and break down the "silos of information" on the web today, Google said.
"Google's vision for universal search is to ultimately search across all its content sources, compare and rank all the information in real time, and deliver a single, integrated set of search results that offers users precisely what they are looking for," the company said.
"Google is implementing a new technical infrastructure" dit maakte me nieuwsgierig...zeer!!
Consider that a typical Google search on a new topic can easily add up to hours — and that's just for a search confined to pages on the Internet.
So, time is the demon. How much time is spent searching databases and other sources for information? Outsell claims workers in all industries spend, on average, 25 percent of their time — 9.25 hours per week, to be precise — obtaining, reviewing, and analyzing information. The problem in life science companies is probably even worse, given the variety of information sources available. "Professionals in the [life sciences] spend 30 percent of their time looking for information," says Andy Michuda, CEO of the knowledge management and business process management consulting company Sopheon.
zie je de link,bedoel wat voor life science companies is bedoelt,gaat ook voor Google op.
(meen dat ze ook ergens recent bij een event aanwezig waren waar ook Sopheon v/d partij was.