Contextualizing Search Results in Networked Directories

This paper presents a novel approach for the representation and contextualization of search results in a thematic category network, which can be present in the form of web directories like the Google category system or the Open Directory Project. An interactive matrix display is used for showing relations between concepts and concept hierarchies of the directory, which are displayed along the two axes of a matrix. The interface allows pure browsing of the thematic structure as well as querying the underlying search engine and exploring the hits on a thematic level. The results of a search are not only shown as the commonly used, but effective plain text lists, but are classified in the category system. In this way, the tasks of browsing the categories and searching the information space are combined in one interface.