Active document framework ADF: Concept and method

Abstract

This paper proposes the concept and method of the active document framework ADF, which is a self-representable, self-explainable and self-executable document mechanism. The content of the document is reflected by granularity hierarchy, template hierarchy, background knowledge, and semantic links between document fragments. An ADF has a set of build-in engines for browsing, retrieving, and reasoning. It can work in the manners that are best suited to the content. The ADF supports not only the browse and retrieval services but also intelligent services like complex question answering and online teaching. The client side service provision mechanism is only responsible for obtaining the required ADF mechanism that provides the particular information services. This improves the current Web information retrieval approaches in efficiency, preciseness and mobility of information services as well as enabling intelligent services. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003.