Methods and systems for context based query formulation and information retrieval

• US 7,970,786 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Yuan, Jun, Bahrami, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Bao G
• Application Number:
  US11/762,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20080313162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/5, 707/3, 707/1, 707/779, 707/780, 705/10, 705/9, 709/217, 715/234
• US Class Current: 707/779
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9032 Query formulation

Abstract

A system for retrieval and aggregation of information resulting from context-based queries includes one or more programmed worklets and a plurality of interconnected computer systems. The computer systems are collectively programmed to model the workflow activities worklets distinct from assistlets to recognize work people perform and to suitably represent such work, generate queries through a meta-querying template that utilize the modeled worklets received from a first processing unit, retrieve information relevant to the work task in response to the queries from a plurality of data sources, and aggregate the retrieved information for presentation to the user.

Claims

1. A system for retrieval and aggregation of information resulting from automatic context and work aware queries, said system including one or more programmed worklets and further comprising a plurality of interconnected computer systems collectively programmed to:

model said one or more worklets distinct from assistlets to recognize work people perform and to suitably represent said work;

automatically generate context and work-aware queries through a meta-querying template that utilize the modeled worklets received from a first processing unit, the queries further aligned with ontologies, semantic query manipulations, and user profiles, the meta-querying template is defined according to mqt=(o, w, s, p, q, v, a), where o is an ontology describing basic semantic knowledge that has been captured in various data systems, q includes of a number of semantic query manipulations that explicitly reference the ontology o, w is a worklet defining tasks to be performed, s is an executable program component configured to perform a defined task, p is a user profile, v is a variable which allows a transition from a query to set of queries, and a is an aggregation which allows a user to go forward from a set of queries to a single one;

leverage external executable program components to detect and adapt to changes in data sources and increase availability of information;

retrieve information relevant to a work task in response to the queries from a plurality of data sources;

dynamically generate an information aggregation request given the current states of w, s, and p using a binding technique; and

adaptively combine and aggregate the retrieved information based on semantic understanding of user needs for presentation to the user.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein to model one or more said worklets said computer systems are programmed to formulate user information needs based on a task the user is trying to achieve.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein to generate queries, said computer systems are programmed to:

receive contextual data comprising at least one of tasks, goals, knowledge and information requirements related to a user; and

utilize the contextual data to improve relevance of queries and retrieved information.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein said computer systems are programmed to identify which information sources are able to provide a user with information relevant to said worklets.

5. A method for operating a computer having an associated data repository for automatic context and work aware query formulation and information retrieval in a heterogeneous computer system environment, said method comprising:

accepting worklet models to be used in information retrieval, said accepting performed via a user interface of the computer;

storing said worklet models in the associated data repository;

providing said worklet models in the associated data repository to a plurality of source applications;

generating one or more context and work-aware executable queries in response to said worklet models in accordance with user needs, the queries further aligned with ontologies, semantic query manipulations, and user profiles by defining the meta-querying template according to mqt=(o, w, s, p, q, v, a), where o is an ontology describing basic semantic knowledge that has been captured in various data systems, q includes of a number of semantic query manipulations that explicitly reference the ontology o, w is a worklet defining tasks to be performed, s is an executable program component configured to perform a defined task, p is a user profile, v is a variable which allows a transition from a query to set of queries, and a is an aggregation which allows a user to go forward from a set of queries to a single one;

receiving results from said executable queries from said plurality of source applications;

adaptively combining and aggregating received query results based on a semantic understanding of user needs;

dynamically generating an information aggregation request given the current states of w, s, and p using a binding technique; and

displaying the combined and aggregated received query results via a user interface.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said displaying the combined and aggregated received query results via a user interface comprises displaying said aggregated received query results via a web interface.

7. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein the plurality of source applications includes at least one member of the set consisting of an information integration application, a workflow engine, a monitor/change detection engine, an adaptation engine, and a runtime dashboard.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said at least one member of the set is implemented as a web service utilizing at least one protocol selected from hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and simple object access protocol (SOAP).

9. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said accepted models include an ontology modeler, a process modeler, a profile modeler, and an information modeler.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9 wherein said generating one or more context and work-aware executable queries comprises generating one or more queries in accordance with a worklet-specified concept of interest.

11. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said generating one or more context and work-aware executable queries further comprises utilizing the meta-query template to extend a semantic definition of said one or more queries to accommodate context awareness based on a process model.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said generating one or more context and work-aware executable queries further comprises generating one or more queries in accordance with network changes detected in at least one member of the group consisting of the heterogeneous computer environment, real-time accessibility of multiple heterogeneous data sources, and security access privileges to multiple heterogeneous data sources.