Sigi Reich

MEMOIR — an open framework for enhanced navigation of distributed information

In large companies, whose business is critically dependent on the eAectiveness of their R&D function, the provision of eAective means to access and share all forms of technical information is an acute problem. It is often easier to repeat an activity than it is to determine whether work has been carried out before. In this paper we present experiences in implementing and evaluating the MEMOIR system. MEMOIR is an open framework, i.e., it is extensible and adaptable to an organization’s infrastructure and applications, and it provides its user interface via standard Web browsers. It uses trails, open hypermedia link services and a set of software agents to assist users in accessing and navigating vast amounts of information in Intranet environments. Additionally, MEMOIR exploits trail data to support users in finding colleagues with similar interests. The MEMOIR system has been installed and evaluated by two end-user organizations. This paper describes the results obtained in this evaluation. 7 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

An open framework for collaborative distributed information management

The MEMOIR project supports researchers working with a vast quantity of distributed information, by assisting them in finding both relevant documents and researchers with related interests. It is an open architecture based on the existing Web infrastructure. Key to the architecture is the use of proxies: to support message routing for dynamic reconfiguration and extension of the system, to collect information about the trail of documents that a user visits, and to insert links on-the-fly. In this paper we present the MEMOIR framework and its rationale, and discuss early experiences with the system.