Using semantic, geographical, and temporal relationships to enhance search and retrieval in digital catalogs

The amount and quality of information available on the Internet increases steadily. To search for information, users are provided with search engines which often return unsatisfactory search results. Against this background, digital catalog systems are becoming more and more popular. Unlike earlier search engines, they contain information about information (meta-information) available on the Internet or in the holdings of digital libraries but not the information itself. Users can benefit from these systems in two ways depending on what information is modeled in them. Firstly, these systems allow for new types of queries; secondly, the quality of retrieval results is improved. This paper sets out how semantic, geographical, and temporal relationships can be integrated into digital catalog systems and how these relationships can be used to enhance search and retrieval processes in such systems. The presentation covers both concepts and a comprehensive description of a digital catalog system which is already used by environmental agencies.