Databases search synonymy

Scenario

Database-side synonymy - While doing a textual search for a watermark or scanning through a list of classes of watermarks, the user wants to be presented with a unique name for the same visual shape. Say a sinusoidal shouldn't be called in one database 'snake' and in another 'rope'.

User-side synonymy - On the other hand, the user should be able to use synonyms, like "shield" and "estucheon", "snake" and "serpent".

Importance

• Must Support

Dependencies

• Databases usability / db integration / dating / authentication / multilingualism / cartography / bibliography

Input

• Visual search by user.

Output

• Watermarks are found.

Difficulties

• This is a problem of content, not classification as with other databases search cases, but it affects a significant amount of data. It is probably exclusively cross-databases, rather than modification of terminology inside the same database. The software developer can use a correspondence table to circumvent the ambiguity, but the data providers have to identify the affected terms.

Example

• This writer can give as an example a difference between Piccard's "cross" and Briquet's "star" designating the same shape.

Other Information

• The correspondence table should be organized multilingual.

Comments

• How should we link 4 different databases with a Bersteinprotal if have so much inhomogeneities. E.g. Piccard NR.1: Lily_In shield_Three lilies twice in quarterly escutcheon (Pic.-nr.:128661) and NR.2:Coat of arms_Escutcheon with cross parti per pale and lily (Pic.-nr.:26255). Both of this are coats of arms with lily's. But for number one you have to search for lily... . In my opinion its necessarily to give links from each individual word of the text description. In the case of my example: 'lily'+'in shield/coat-of-arms'+'quarterly escutcheon/Escutcheon with cross'. - GeorgDietz

-- VladAtanasiu - 13 Sep 2006