Understanding Search Engines: Mathematical Modeling and Text Retrieval (Software, Environments, Tools), Second Edition [Paperback]

Michael W. Berry (Author), Murray Browne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0898715814 | ISBN-13: 978-0898715811 | Edition: 2

The second edition of this text covers many of the key design issues for building search engines, emphasizing the important role that applied mathematics plays in improving information retrieval. Important data structures, algorithms, and software are discussed, as well as user-centered issues such as interfaces, manual indexing, and document preparation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘There is no other information retrieval/search book where the heart is the mathematical foundations. This book is greatly needed to further establish information retrieval as a serious academic, as well as practical and industrial, area.’ Jaime Carbonell, Carnegie Mellon University

‘Berry and Browne describe most of what you need to know to design your own search engine. Their strength is the description of the solid mathematical underpinnings at a level that is understandable to competent engineering undergraduates, perhaps with a bit of instructor guidance. They discuss the algorithms used by most commercial search engines, so you may find your use of Google and its kind becomes more effective, too.’ George Corliss, Marquette University.

‘This book gives a valuable, generally non-technical, insight into how search engines work, how to improve the users' success in Information Retrieval (IR), and an in-depth analysis of a mathematical algorithm for improving a search engine's performance. …Written in an informal style, the book is easy to read and is a good introduction on how search engines operate…’ Christopher Dean, Mathematics Today

‘Anyone interested in building their own search engine, or looking for a compact and readable introduction to the field of modern information retrieval will find this book to be an excellent first introduction.’ Tony Donaldson, MAA Reviews

Book Description

The second edition of this text covers many of the key design issues for building search engines, emphasizing the important role that applied mathematics plays in improving information retrieval. Important data structures, algorithms, and software are discussed, as well as user-centered issues such as interfaces, manual indexing, and document preparation.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 117 pages
• Publisher: SIAM, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics; 2 edition (April 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898715814
• ISBN-13: 978-0898715811
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,150,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael W. Berry holds the title of Full Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Prof. Berry is the co-author of "Templates for the Solution of Linear Systems:
Building Blocks for Iterative Methods" (SIAM, 1994) and "Understanding Search Engines: Mathematical Modeling and Text Retrieval, Second Edition" (Bestseller, SIAM, 2005) and editor of "Computational Information Retrieval" (SIAM, 2001), "Survey of Text Mining: Clustering, Classification, and Retrieval" (Springer-Verlag, 2003, 2007), "Lecture Notes in Data Mining" (Bestseller, World Scientific, 2006), and "Text Mining: Applications and Theory" (Wiley, 2010). He has published well over 100 peer-refereed journal and conference publications.

He has organized numerous workshops on Text Mining and was Conference Co-Chair of the 2003 SIAM Third International Conference on Data Mining (May 1-3) in San Francisco, CA. He was also Program Co-Chair of the 2004 Co-Chair of the 2003 SIAM Fourth International Conference on Data Mining (April 22-24) in Orlando, FL. He is a member of SIAM, ACM, MAA, and the IEEE Computer Society and is on the editorial board of "Computing in Science and Engineering" and "Statistical Analysis and Data Mining".

His research interests include information retrieval, data and text mining,
computational science, bioinformatics, and parallel computing. Prof. Berry's
research has been supported by grants and contracts from organizations such
as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Appreciations from a novice., June 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Understanding Search Engines: Mathematical Modeling and Text Retrieval (Software, Environments, Tools) (Paperback)

I read this book because I am starting academic research on search engines. It was one of my first books on the subject. It actually deals with two aspects: (1) relevant issues in search engine design, and (2) a mathematically sound approach in building and querying large index strucutres. The explanation in the book on both aspects is short but to the point and explained in an understandable way. It also contains a short list + description of some key references. Great !

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction, May 7, 2007

By 

Geraldo XEXEO "Computer Geek and Professor" (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Understanding Search Engines: Mathematical Modeling and Text Retrieval (Software, Environments, Tools), Second Edition (Paperback)

There are better books in the market, and even the author would be the first to recognize it. However, this book is one of the most clear and readable introduction to the subject that you can find.

The author fully acomplishes the objective: teach his reader, at undergratuate level, how search engines work. Even some difficult subject, such as LSI, are treated at a level one can easilly understand.

One of the most important characteristics of the book is that it does math. Every formula has an example, usually using small matrix that allow the reader to easilly follow them.

The book is suitable for an objective introduction to the field. It is not very "academic", in the sense it is rather informal. If it is not a textbook, it could help some bewildered student to grasp the inner workings. It could also help a teacher to find clearer ways for explanations and good examples for classroom.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Search Engines, February 4, 2009

By 

Daniel Pawelec "danio" (Poland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Understanding Search Engines: Mathematical Modeling and Text Retrieval (Software, Environments, Tools), Second Edition (Paperback)

This book is condensed knowladge about the topic of search engines - but only the basics. I am very dissapointed because I thought I will see something special, inspiring.

This book is good for beginners in search engines field but not for the money it costs now.