Information retrieval using robust natural language processing

Abstract

We developed a prototype information retrieval system which uses advanced natural language processing techniques to enhance the effectiveness of traditional key-word based document retrieval. The backbone of our system is a statistical retrieval engine which performs automated indexing of documents, then search and ranking in response to user queries. This core architecture is augmented with advanced natural language processing tools which are both robust and efficient. In early experiments, the augmented system has displayed capabilities that appear to make it superior to the purely statistical base.