caatoosee search technology gmbh has announced the availability of its fast2find®reporter 3.0. Built on error-tolerant search technology, the system does more than just search it finds as well. As a result, fast2find®reporter 3.0 considerably improves the quality of information retrieval.

The use of a pattern-based associative memory makes the fast2find®reporter what it is a fast, scalable and error-tolerant retrieval solution. Because it correctly recognises associations, it doesnt just return identical matches, it retrieves similar terms too. For instance, a search on interior minister will also return hits containing secretary of the interior; likewise, for Gorbatschow, the system will also find Ghorbatschow and Gorbtaschov, plus any other variant spellings correct or otherwise. There is no need to wrestle with the complicated query languages that other systems require. Whats more, the solution tolerates errors, whether in the search query or the stored data. All in all, this technology makes using search engines a whole lot easier, empowering users to find instead of just search.

"The superiority of this technology over earlier versions has been proven in practice in a number of projects, and the new version of fast2find®reporter is even further refined," says Dr. Michael Hagström, managing director of caatoosee search technology gmbh in Hildesheim. Leading information providers are already leveraging the reporter technology for online and offline systems. Examples include the online offerings of wissen.de (which uses a visual index) and Xipolis, as well as CD-ROM products such as the Bertelsmann Lexikodisc. Now written entirely in C++, the kernel is also multiprocessor-capable, which means it can handle exacting requirements such as those of online book retailers with ease. Developer interfaces are available for C++, Java and COM.

Predefined Web frontends speed up the implementation process for companies and development partners. The package also includes a Web crawler, which supports targeted searching and indexing of Internet or intranet pages. The reporter draws on a range of tools to facilitate searching. Similarity measures help it handle the problem of variant spellings, like those of Ghorbatschov, while fuzzy operators can be employed for searching multiple fields in a database to link the individual results to one overall result. Complex rules for determining the best combination of hits on different fields are not necessary fuzzy operators display the associations much more simply. The operands can also be weighted to prioritise, say, hits in the title over those in the introduction and body text. This means that information searches can be optimally tailored to fit the requirements of each situation.

The fast2find®reporter 3.0 is therefore highly suitable for Internet and intranet searching, and is also an ideal platform for Web applications requiring powerful search, comparison and analysis functionality. The package includes code examples for the supported interfaces, ensuring that the tool is easy to implement.

The fast2find®reporter 3.0 is a core component of the fast2find®platform. fast2find® provides the foundation for intelligent information logistics, enabling the profiled delivery of information. In the true spirit of the caatoosee slogan get what you want, it helps users locate the right information in the right place at the right time.