University enters collaboration to develop text mining applications

07 Nov 2011

The University of Manchester has joined forces with Elsevier, a leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, to develop new applications for text mining, a crucial research tool.

The primary goal of text mining is to extract new information such as named entities, relations hidden in text and to enable scientists to systematically and efficiently discover, collect, interpret and curate knowledge required for research.

The collaborative team will develop applications for SciVerse Applications, which provides opportunities for researchers to collaborate with developers in creating and promoting new applications that improve research workflows.

The University’s National Centre for Text Mining (NaCTeM), the first publicly-funded text mining centre in the world, will work with Elsevier’s Application Marketplace and Developer Network team on the project. 

Text mining extracts semantic metadata such as terms, relationships and events, which enable more pertinent search. NaCTeM provides a number of text mining services, tools and resources for leading corporations and government agencies that enhance search and discovery.

Sophia Ananiadou, Professor in the University’s School of Computer Science and Director of the National Centre for Text Mining, said: “Text mining supports new knowledge discovery and hypothesis generation. 

“Elsevier’s SciVerse platform will enable access to sophisticated text mining techniques and content that can deliver more pertinent, focused search results.”

“NaCTeM has developed a number of innovative, semantic-based and time-saving text mining tools for various organizations,” said Rafael Sidi, Vice President Product Management, Applications Marketplace and Developer Network, Elsevier. 

“We are excited to work with the NaCTeM team to bring this expertise to the research community.”