New Online Research Technology Pinpoints Data
| Date | 01 June 2006 |
| Pages | 23-24 |
| Published date | 01 June 2006 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07419050610689031 |
| Author | Douglas Orr |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
New Online Research Technology
Pinpoints Data
Douglas Orr
LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 5 2006, pp. 23-24, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050610689031 23
Librarians searching for information
online today can spend many
unproductive hours looking through
search engines, subscriptions sources,
blogs and many other sites of potential
interest, until they find the data needed.
Cogenta Research Director, in its
simplest terms, is a unique online tool
that searches, discovers, completes a
first-pass analysis and manages the
entire process on behalf of librarians. It
refines the way a human searches and
improves results to create significant
time savings.
Research Director's role in library
technology applications
Research Director enables
librarians who struggle with large
volumes of online content or perform
complex online searches to
significantly improve the way they
manage the discovery and tracking on
information on the internet. Simply
put, it enables people to process more
information in less time.
Unlike other search technologies
and services, it addresses the end-to-
end process that librarians follow. It
does this by emulating the way
librarians have to go about their
research. The product enables them to
find more information that would have
remained hidden. At the same time,
the software will create huge
efficiencies in the way the process is
handled.
How will libraries use Research
Director?
When librarians receive a request
that requires detailed research of
internet content, they can quickly and
easily set up a research process that
automatically goes to chosen sources of
information. These could be search
engines, subscription sources, blogs and
other sites of interest.
It will then analyse the first pass
results based on the initial information
provided, resulting in relevant content
being returned without the need for
librarians to analyse each result
individually.
This enables librarians to focus their
analytical expertise on a highly relevant
shortlist of content after the product has
found and analysed potentially
thousands of results.
The product has additional features
such as the ability to repeat searches for
incremental information. It will also
alert the librarian to new results
occurring. Finally, the application
enables straightforward distribution and
reporting of the analysis results.
The product's roots
In its first iteration, Research
Director was formed several years ago
when content management technology
was used to help catalogue and
manage internal information. Cogenta
was involved in developing search
technology used for knowledge
management and search capabilities.
From this work the idea was borne
that the same technology could be
applied to help people manage
external research. The company
wanted to create a tool to streamline
external search processes as well as
apply advanced search technology to
ensure they could complete the
required level of research in a sensible
timeframe.
Early versions of the product were
introduced to different organisations
with a variety of functions that could
benefit from thislevel of search analysis.
It was during this phase that Research
Director was introduced to the head
librarian of a global pharmaceutical
organisation.
Douglas Orr, CEO of Cogenta,
explains: ``It's fair to say that the
librarian's day to day problems weren't
fully grasped by our team three or so
years ago in terms of management of
external content. A lot of focus for our
development effort was placed on
knowledge management, say managing
what the librarian has got, rather than
searching for new detail.
``So we continued to develop
Research Director to ensure that it
wasn't just addressing a technical issue,
but also aiding the daily process issues
that people go through. Research
Director has become an application that
handles the end to end research process
that individuals experience. That's been
achieved by speaking to information
professionals in different functions such
as research teams, librarians and due
diligence teams, and ensuring their
feedback and daily problems were
included in the end product.''
How was Cogenta Research Director
tested?
The product has been tested in
different professional disciplines within
a select number of customer
engagements. Cogenta has developed
the product to the delivery the needs of
a library function of a large
pharmaceutical organisation, a research
function in a government agency and
the security function of a global
financial institution.
Indeed, the librarian's work at the
global pharmaceutical is Cogenta's
longest standing customer. Research
Director supports the head librarian
who is responsible for significant
volumes of business research. The main
use of the product is to help him
discover and track relevant business
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