An Inductive Search System: Theory, Design, and Implementation

An automated information system that can accept requests for information and, in response, selects and ranks by probability of satisfaction the names of those people who can answer the input queries is described. This information system (called Helpnet) is based on new probabilistic design principles, which were previously proposed (but never implemented) for the document retrieval problem. Helpnet has now been implemented on an IBM Personal Computer. The theoretical design principles used for Helpnet and the computer programs used by this implementation of Helpnet are discussed. Also, a preliminary sensitivity analysis is presented, which looks at the question of how input errors influence the rankings at the output. The probabilistic design principles used in Helpnet can be applied to a much larger class of similar situations, which we call "inductive search" situations.