NLP for Answer Extraction in Technical Domains

In this paper we argue that questionanswering (QA) over technical domains is distinctly different from TREC-based QA or Web-based QA and it cannot benefit from data-intensive approaches. Technical questions arise in situations where concrete problems require specific answers and explanations. Finding a justification of the answer in the context of the document is essential if we have to solve a real-world problem. We show that NLP techniques can be used successfully in technical domains for high-precision access to information stored in documents. We present ExtrAns, an answer extraction system over technical domains, its architecture, its use of logical forms for answer extractions and how terminology extraction becomes an important part of the system.