Build a taxonomy on the Web -- new Wordmap service launches at Online Information 2001

Wordmap, the leading provider of industrial strength taxonomy management systems, is launching a revolutionary online taxonomy building service at Online Information 2001. Wordmap ASP (Application Service Provider) will allow knowledge professionals to build and manage complex taxonomies online, using the full capabilities of Wordmaps advanced software, then deploy the results in web metasearch.

Its now widely accepted that taxonomies are a critical piece of the organisations content infrastructure," commented Wordmap CEO Bill Hutchison. But developing them is not easy without the help of a specialised software package. The new Wordmap ASP service gives companies an enormous kick start to taxonomy development -- at a very reasonable cost."

The Wordmap ASP operates very simply. Users upload their own taxonomy datasets from plain text, XML or ISO standard formats, and the Wordmap system creates a visual environment in which they can be managed and enhanced. Some users may not have existing taxonomies, and Wordmap makes its own very large datasets available for users to work with. With some 300,000 entries, the Wordmap taxonomies have something for most users to work with. Users can then add new material to their taxonomies, and reshape and structure them using Wordmaps.

Wordmap really comes into its own when users take advantage of its advanced features. Wordmap supports the advanced features that most systems neglect," commented Dr Jeremy Ellman, Wordmap CTO, The ability to store and display multilingual versions of your taxonomies in Unicode, for example, is a key strength of the Wordmap product. Or the capability to insert ad hoc links between subject areas, which is crucial for adding richness to the data, and providing context and cross-reference for users."

Why the web metasearch component, and how does that work?

The Wordmap system automatically converts the taxonomy into a web metasearch site unique to each customer. Wordmap metasearch is a way of seeing how your users will react to the taxonomy in a browsable interface, such as the enterprise information portal. Using your taxonomy in web metasearch allows you to develop a complete test and piloting environment at very little cost and almost no disruption. Its a very innovative, practical solution."

In fact, the taxonomy acts as a query expansion layer between users and search sources, clarifying and enriching queries. Enriched user input translates very readily to enhanced search results.

The Wordmap ASP starts at 1,000 per month, and a special discount will be available only for the duration of the show. To register, or receive further information, please visit www.wordmap.com.

For further information, please contact Wordmap CEO Bill Hutchison -- bill.hutchison@wordmap.com; +44 (0)1225 358182.

About Wordmap
Wordmap is the leading provider of industrial strength taxonomy management systems. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Bath, United Kingdom, Wordmap counts market leaders in business information, professional services and manufacturing industry among its customers.

For further details on Online Information:
see the web site at www.online-information.co.uk
Contact Rebekah Hart, Marketing Manager at Learned Information Europe Ltd
Telephone: +44 (0)1865 388000
e-mail: rebekah_hart@learned.co.uk.