NLP-assisted exploration of texts
Yaakov Yaari · 2000
Retrieving information does not end with the identification of the top n relevant files. The identified text should then be presented to the user in a form that facilitates accessing the relevant information pieces. This work investigates the possibility of using lexical structures latent in the text to provide the reader with rich visual representations such as table-of-contents and topic index. The paper describes the approach for topic identification, reconstructing the hierarchical structure and the generation of sections' headings, as well as the back-end visualization system. 1 Introduction The cognitive process of reading expository text attempts to reconstruct the same framework of ideas the author had in mind when the text was originally written. The process is an exploratory one. The reader uses various devices as aids in this reconstruction, such as maps for orientation, or catalogs for objects being found in the process. If such devices are missing the process takes...