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Abstract

The work of this thesis centres round the representation and manipulation of information within a computer with the object of storing and retrieving the information.

Current methods of representing information within the information science field are briefly surveyed and an extension of current relational indexing schemes is devised. This results in a powerful representational ability through the creation of information structures which use intellectually created relations. These structures show great similarity to graph theoretic structures and their properties are discussed in this light. Various graph shapes and manipulations are considered for their applicability to the information structures, and a mapping is devised.

A number of methods of representing structures in the computer memory are compared and a chained format devised. The requirements of system design for a large scale interactive information retrieval system are given and the various possibilities outlined. A language is designed for the description of the required complex structures. This serves for both input and query definition.

The special considerations of information storage and retrieval systems are presented and the options and trade-offs indicated. A working system has been created and the detailed design of this is given in terms of the choices made from the previously identified options. The design is discussed at several levels; from physical storage through system control to user interactive elements such as commands and output.

The current applications of the system are detailed and future possible uses as well as planned and possible enhancements are discussed.

Existing information retrieval systems are briefly surveyed and the facilities offered by this system compared with those offered by others.

Appendices contain the various manuals for the system which give a detailed account of its use as well as a formal description of the syntax of the structure definition language and an indication of the power of the complex structures the system can handle.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z665 Library Science. Information Science Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > ZA Information resources > ZA4050 Electronic information resources
Departments:	Doctoral Theses

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