14 October 2008

Vivisimo Introduces Conceptual Search with Velocity 7.0—New User Interface Improves Discovery and Personalization

Velocity 7.0 Returns Search to User Control: New Tools Leverage User’s Intent and Intelligence to Improve Search Results

(Note: Download here low-resolution or high-resolution examples of the new Velocity 7.0 conceptual search user interface.)

Orlando, Fla. — Vivisimo (vivisimo.com), a leader in enterprise search, today announces conceptual search with Velocity Search Platform™ 7.0. Generally available Dec. 1, Velocity™ 7.0 advances conceptual search with a new interface that gives users explicit control to fine tune queries and personalize search to meet their information goals.

When searching, users typically have one of two goals in mind—they need a specific piece of information or they are carrying out research and want as much information as possible related to their query. Typical search implementations dealt with these scenarios by tuning results for better precision or broader recall—but have not allowed users to choose between them at query time.

Velocity 7.0 introduces a new, more personalized way of searching with conceptual search. Unlike solutions that apply a one-size-fits-all approach to relevancy, Velocity’s conceptual search empowers users to identify their search goal upfront. Velocity 7.0 gives users the option to increase precision to search for particular documents or increase recall to find all related information, making more explicit the relationships between related data.

With the new interface, users also see exactly how they are modifying their search. By making the process of modifying searches more transparent, and giving more control over that process to users, Velocity 7.0 helps produce better, more satisfying results. Other implementations that hide the search modification process behind an “engine-knows-best” facade produce less relevant results and more frustrated users.

In Velocity 7.0, users can expand queries using automatically-created related concepts derived from a combination of Vivisimo’s industry-leading clustering methods and enhanced heuristics. In addition, thesauri and ontologies can be incorporated to refine or expand queries using synonyms and broader or narrower terms.

“Conceptual search advances users’ ability to discover the information they need to be more productive and to work more economically,” said Jerome Pesenti, Vivisimo’s chief scientist and co-founder. “The optimal approach leverages users’ intent—do they want to broaden a query for research or narrow their search to enhance findability? Vivisimo’s Velocity Search Platform 7.0 helps enterprise search deliver more relevant results by providing new tools that enhance personalization of the search process.”

Key new developments in 7.0 include:

  • Conceptual search empowers users to personalize the intent of their task—to expand or refine their search—using a new, easy-to-use search interface
  • Velocity 7.0 leverages the enterprise’s work to create thesauri and ontologies, providing employees with an easy way to use them in improving discovery of desired information
  • IT configuration is web-based, allowing administrators to easily define default settings

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About Vivisimo, Inc.
Vivisimo provides enterprises with innovative search solutions that allow end-users to find and take advantage of all appropriate and available information, regardless of source, location or type. Vivisimo’s innovative technology, including social search tools that enable collaboration throughout the enterprise, is delivered with a focus on end-user satisfaction and on application control through easy-to-use interfaces, flexible security management and a modern architecture that enables quick deployment. Vivisimo products are available for standalone search applications or as OEM versions embedded as critical search technology within partner applications and solutions. Vivisimo serves its global clients from headquarters in Pittsburgh, USA, and partners throughout the world. Visit Vivisimo.com and our [Search Done Right™] blog.

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