User Support in WWW Environment

Author: Jiří Jelínek,  University of Economics - Faculty of Management, Czech Republic

Fulltexts

Abstract

World Wide Web – the most popular internet service enables access to large amount of data and information. These days, the problem is not the availability of the data, but the ability of the user to search WWW to gather relevant information. It is also often difficult to navigate in those parts of internet, which have been already visited. This paper is concerned with methods and options how to provide support of user’s day-to-day work with WWW. The experience with practical use of these methods will be also discussed.

The purpose of user support systems is to trace user’s common behavior and to define user’s profile depending on this behavior. New suggestions for the future user’s work are based on this profile. The analysis is based on sessions (time limited sequences of visited URLs, where could be supposed that user follows given objective). From these sessions, the basic user behavior could be discovered. The part of WWW space already visited by the user could be also modeled. Similarities could be also determined according to the particular behavior and customs of different users.

From the individual session user’s interests can also be described in the form of word terms. This information could be obtained from texts of clicked URL links, page description (title, keywords) and also from the www pages full texts. These terms could be subsequently used at any www search engine. Founded information sources of similar subject could be also presented to the user. Interesting possibility is also semantic processing of terms and their embedding into concept hierarchies.

About the author

Ing. Jiří Jelínek, CSc., born 1966 Associate Professor, Dept. of Information Management, Univ. Of Economics Prague

Research interests: Knowledge acquisition, data mining, web mining, AI, computer networks and Information systems

Conference participation

• Using of Video Technology on Management Faculty, Univ. of Economics, Paper on 8-th International Conference "Pedagogical Software 2002", 5-6. 6. 2002, České Budějovice, CZ
• E-learning on Management Faculty, Univ. of Economics - Using and Practical Experience, Paper on 2-nd National Conference "Distance Learning in Czech Rep. – Presence and Future", 1-3. 7. 2002, Jindřichův Hradec, CZ
• The Use of Multimedia Technologies in e-Learning. Paper on International Conference "DEL 2003 – Developments in e-Learning", 17.-19.9.2003, Prague, CZ

Grants and development projects (DP):

• Using of Internet Techniques for Faculty IS, Grant of Czech Ministry of Education, no. G5 1455, 2001
• Digital Video Processing, DP of Czech Ministry of Education, no. 132, 2001
• Use of Automated Knowledge Testing Methods, Member of DP of Czech Ministry of Education, no. 132, 2001, 2002
• Support for Distance Learning Program for Public Administration Workers, Member of DP of Czech Ministry of Education, no. 19, 2002
• On-line Communication and Learning Environment, DP of Czech Ministry of Education, no. 126, 2002
• Support of Combined Form of Study on Management Faculty, Univ. of Economics, DP of Czech Ministry of Education, no. 372/03, 2003
• Support of Navigation and Searching in WWW Space, Grant of IGA, Univ. Of Economics, 2003