First Scribe

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

What is the future of search?

What is the future of search?

Search appears to be progressing into a split personality, depending on the type of data search being performed. At the moment we are using one tool (of visitor’s choice) to perform all search for data. That will continue to become more cumbersome as the data set available on the Internet grows.

1. Educational data – A significant amount of search is done in “stream of thought” for educational purpose. I apply education very broadly here as it could be a student researching Taiwan or a consumer completing research for a future purchase. Either way, this is neither life nor death, or is there an imminent purchase/decision to be made. The visitor is learning for future reference.

In this case the volume of data available on the Internet is an overwhelming burden. The searcher becomes bogged down in similarly-presented data with no guidance towards authority. The searcher is literally charged with finding data as well as discerning truth/authority.

I believe enhanced (matrix) search tools will begin to help this searcher find their way. Search tools will evolve additional relevancy based upon not only standards-driven user input but also statistical analysis of more finite pieces of data. We will see search results to data subsets versus the whole. No longer will the search be based upon an entire work so much as a piece of that work validated by user input with further statistical analysis of the search tool itself.

2. Consumable data – In this case I’m speaking of a visitor searching for data that will help them complete a timely (imminent) task such as location of a person, place, or thing. My expectation is that we will see a focus into highly-localized search (based upon known location) combined with some level of augmented reality tools.

The technology to ascertain the visitor’s location is already a simple matter. Resolving that to the data pertinent to that known location is only a matter of time. At the moment this data/location relationship is reliant on business and user data to be manually input and verified. It is only a matter of time before the processing and storage resources are applied to an intensive attack on this problem.

Once data is solidly tied to location, then some use of augmented reality will begin to pay off. A visitor will continue to search for a “keyword/thing” in a location and find a point of purchase for that item in a nearby store but computers will take it one step further.

I see visitors pointing their phone’s camera lens at an item and clicking a button. The image will be captured, combined with geolocation and proximity to data. Then the search engine will reply to the visitor with the question for refinement - “Do you want to know about that thing? Do you wish to purchase?”

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

First Scribe Designs AJAX Drag and Drop Application for Suttle

Suttle teamed up again with First Scribe to create a unique online application which allows users to virtually drag and drop Suttle’s SOHO Access™ structured wiring modules and position them in an enclosure of their choosing. The application allows users to then purchase their entire configuration online or print/email a bill of materials.
"The intuitive design of this exciting new resource makes it almost effortless for designers or installers to plan and layout their structured wiring system," remarked Jay Kilby, Director of Marketing. "This creates value for the installer by not only saving them time and money, but also simplifying the buying process."
The configuration tools is entirely AJAX based and built using a combination of JavaScript Frameworks from several sources, including Prototype and script.aculo.us. It’s powered by a custom PHP back-end and interfaces with an OSCommerce based cart installation. AJAX based web applications allow for a plug-in free interactive user experience that is at the heart of Web 2.0.

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Friday, June 29, 2007

iPhone to Support Third-Party Web 2.0 Applications

Apple® has decided to lock down the iPhone™ preventing people from installing third party applications but is encouraging development of Web 2.0 Applications targeting iPhone users. You can click here for more details.

The idea behind Web 2.0 is using the Internet as a platform to develop rich, interactive, and user-friendly applications that can be used entirely from a web browser. The applications are designed to give users the tools they need to create, control, and share data with each other. This blog is a great example of such an application. In theory the more people contribute the more valuable the application becomes. Web 2.0 applications provide you with a multi-platform application you can access from virtually any device that has Internet connectivity and a web browser with standard JavaScript support.

Web 2.0 is still evolving and First Scribe continues to find new ways to offer feature rich, highly interactive applications to our customers that solve their business needs. Contact us for your web 2.0 application development needs.

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