Visual & Clustering Search Engines

as tools for concept generation, mind mapping, outlining & more

PF Anderson, Emerging Technologies Librarian, Health

Sciences, pfa@umich.edu

© 2008 Regents of the University of Michigan. All rights reserved.

Visual & Clustering Search

• Clustering search• Term and concept based• Useful for term and concept generation

exercises• Useful to expand set of terms in MEDLINE

and Web searches• Visual• Organizes results visually or graphically• Sometimes includes image search

Why?• New topic: term and concept

discovery • Concept or topic tracking: graphic

representations to capture change over time

• Visualization generation to create images describing concept or term• Can use in presentation slides

Selected Search Engines

• Ask • Clusty • Don Busca• Exalead• Gigablast• Grokker• iBoogie • IncyWincy• Kartoo• KillerInfo• KoolTorch• ManagedQ

• MedStory• Middlespot• Mooter• oSkope• PubMed FaceOff• Quintura• RedZee• SearchCrystal• SearchMe• TouchGraph• Ujiko• Viewzi• Vivisimo

Clustering Search Tools

IncyWincy• Bioethics

KillerInfo• Bioethics - concepts

Don Busca• bioethics

Clusty• Bioethics - concepts

Exalead• Bioethics - terms, types, media,

filetypes

Vivisimo

• Bioethics

iBoogie• Bioethics - concepts

iBoogie• Bioethics - images

Gigablast• Bioethics - concepts

Gigablast• Bioethics - images

Gigablast• Bioethics - videos

Ask.com• Bioethics - concepts, images, and

more

Visual Search Tools

Grokker• bioethics

KoolTorch• Bioethics - 1

KoolTorch• Bioethics - 2, navigation

RedZee• Bioethics - prioritization

Mooter• bioethics

Quintura• Bioethics

MedStory• Bioethics

Ujiko

• bioethics

ManagedQ• Bioethics - person, place, thing,

thumbnails

Kartoo

• Bioethics

SearchMe: Video Browsing

Touchgraph• Searches & displays visualizations

of results for:• Web • Amazon books• Amazon music• Amazon DVDs• Facebook

• Use as visualization tool, graphic concept generator, discovery of like authors / performers and more

Touchgraph • Web search for bioethics

Touchgraph• Web search for bioethics -

enlarged

Touchgraph• Amazon browser

Touchgraph• Amazon book search for bioethics

Touchgraph• Amazon book search for bioethics• Recentered by clicking on plus sign

for a specific book of interest• Enlarged

Touchgraph• Amazon book search - Lisa See

Touchgraph• Amazon movie search - Miyazaki

Touchgraph• Amazon music search - Jonatha

Brookes

Touchgraph• Amazon music search - Tom Waits

Viewzi

Viewzi: Photocloud View

PubMed FaceOff• http://www.postgenomic.com/

faces/index.php

PubMed FaceOff• Polverini search

PubMed FaceOff• Polverini results

Coming Soon to a Computer Near You

SearchCrystal

TinEye• Searches from a seed images

TinEye• Creates embeddable widgets

What else?• Possible applications• Concept clarification for ESL students• Breaking the “white page” block• Tools for “concrete thinkers” to work with abstract

concepts• Assignment to compare concepts generated across

tools• Assignment to evaluate recommended concepts

for 2-3 tools - do you agree with recommendations?

• What can you imagine doing with these tools?