Using an intelligent agent to enhance search engine performance

The amount of information available via networks and databases has rapidly increased and continues to increase. Existing search and retrieval engines provide limited assistance to users in locating the relevant information that they need. Autonomous, intelligent agents may prove to be the needed item in transforming passive search and retrieval engines into active, personal assistants. This proposal explores the quantity of information available that is driving the need for improved search and retrieval engines. It then reviews current information retrieval literature and agency literature. Following these reviews, it proposes that the combination of effective information retrieval techniques and autonomous, intelligent agents can improve the performance of short-term information retrieval in an existing search or retrieval engine. A review of the current status of agents in various areas including information retrieval is also presented. The proposal then presents the objectives of this research, the methodology to achieve these objectives, and concludes with the contributions of this research and a short summary.