Archive for June, 2008

This has been a good couple of weeks at hakia. Last week, we announced the update of PubMed content to our BETA site, further enhancing our capability to offer credible content for health searches on the Internet. Now, on the heels of our technology licensing news in March, we are announcing the launch of an additional offering to Web sites and businesses looking to become early adopters of our core semantic search technology – Syndication Web Services.

hakia’s Syndication Web Services will allow businesses to use the same semantic technology that powers our search engine for their application needs. The services provide an XML feed, and options to customize the feed. hakia offers 30,000 searches per day free of charge and free of advertising that is available to early adopters. Also available is the hakia’s Search Box, which is a “do-it-yourself” version of the syndication services. The service details are outlined in the Table below.

We are also excited that our first partner for this offering is Berggi, an emerging global leader in mobile consumer applications and fellow technology innovator. Berggi has released an alpha version of a simple and easy to use mobile search application for global market adoption. The application is compatible with AT&T and Sprint phones (Blackberry and iPhones excluded). Please visit berggisearch.com to download the application.

The key features include the following:

XML FEED CALLS – Advanced Elements

For further information, please visit the hakia Club.

PubMed.gov is one of the largest data aggregation points in medicine, and the only one that covers more than 4000 journal entries. We are proud to announce that hakia has QDEXed more than 10 million PubMed abstracts, and is now offering PubMed search exclusively at pubmed.hakia.com, or at hakia.com as part of a general search.

You don’t know what you are missing using PubMed’s own Search Engine
We start with an interesting observation that PubMed’s own search engine has some serious holes in it, and the user may not realize what he/she is missing. Although we do not like the exercise of showing comparisons for example purposes, in this particular case, there seems to be no other way to demonstrate the alarming importance of searching efficiently for health information on the Internet.

The first query is a simple one: Protein C deficiency

As part of a general search, hakia’s first result from PubMed is an article written by Nizzi FA Jr, Kaplan HS., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. It is all about Protein C and S deficiency. PubMed’s own search engine not only fails to bring this article, but all 20 results are irrelevant to this query.

Protein C deficiency is not dull subject. It causes blood clots and should be on the radar of medical doctors, nurses, medical students, researchers, and even the standard health consumer.

Next query is a bit more research oriented: phosphorylation sites in glycine

The situation is the same. hakia’s first result from PubMed is an article written by Luca Z. et al, from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. PubMed’s own search engine fails to bring this abstract and nothing seems to be related in the first 20 results.

Before making this blog post too repetitious, we will finalize it with a third example picked from dozens of other examples we have analyzed. This time, the query is a more generalized concept in genetics: modulation of ion channels.

hakia’s first result from PubMed is an article written by Dascal N. from Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University. PubMed’s own search engine fails to bring this abstract and the first 20 results are not promisingly relevant.

Google Site Search for PubMed shows the same holes

So, we turned to Google site search. The query protein C deficiency fails. So do the other two queries:
phosphorylation sites in glycine and modulation of ion channels. However, these failures are expected from Google due to (1) undefined coverage, and (2) limitations of the popularity algorithms.

Semantic search making a difference at the basic level

These arguments are to remind the readers of the fact that semantic search technology can make a difference at the basic level of retrieval because of its built-in consistency, and because the technology does not depend on any statistics. We have not even discussed the semantic variations between the queries and text.

hakia’s PubMed coverage will continue on a daily basis as we utilize the power of semantic algorithms handling dynamic data (new abstracts emerging daily.) Stay tuned for an update.

We have updated our BETA search engine at hakia.com. This update includes several improvements and expanded data coverage which we will explain in the coming days with examples.

In this release, the first thing visible to the end user is the evolution toward “single step” search where the results contain image search automatically in a compact manner. The upper part of the hakia search results page is already showing a different flavor than your regular search engine, dedicated to credible, fresh, and relevant material, which we call it “Quality”. Now, the 4th element entering this frame is the visuals. You can click on the image below to see the actual results page.

Another visible difference in this version is the source identifier that appears with mouse-over the result snippet. As shown below, this area of information includes credibility stamp, and follow-up searches in the verticals.

We will post other important features related to this release in the coming days.

You know the saying “there is no shortcut to a place worth going!” That is the reality of creating a semantic search engine. Nevertheless, we are getting one step closer to our goal with every BETA update. Stay tuned for more information.

Actually, our band will!

This week starts with great excitement in the Big Apple. New York will celebrate its thriving Internet industry and community with a week-long festival of events starting tomorrow. We are participating in the Internet Week New York with an online event. Join us!

Readers of our blog know that we have a music band that composes and plays the world’s first ever “Search Music.” We had live performances in the Knitting Factory and the Cutting Room last year. We have great fun making video clips to our songs. Check out the video clip for “Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?” After all, it is an important question to pose and compose music for.

In celebration of Internet Week, we will give away FREE “Search Music” CDs to anyone who would like to experience something new. To request your CD, please drop us an email to searchmusic AT hakia DOT com. You can listen to the Search Music online at http://www.hakiasearchmusic.com/

Call for Songs: hakia will compile an Internet Week NY edition of Search Music, celebrating the growing New York technology industry with submissions from YOU. Please visit http://www.hakiasearchmusic.com/ and follow the instructions to submit your music.

Visit Internet Week New York’s Website to check out the long list of exciting events: http://www.internetweekny.com/ To find out why the chicken crossed the road, you know what to do!