Distributed Thesaurus Web Services

HTML-based information services provide access to online information sources but do not make them useful for much more than viewing in a Web browser. There is also no cohesive cataloging or subject access scheme for the Internet. XML and Web services provide the framework for enhancing the information content of all types of data delivered over the Internet and for enhancing the functionality of specialized yet interoperable networked information retrieval applications. The Thesauro-Web, a proposed network of thesaurus access and navigation services, could provide enhanced subject access for the World Wide Web and enhance the functionality of information retrieval applications. The idea behind the Thesauro-Web is described here in detail, with examples of applicable XMLprotocols and descriptions of possible uses. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: © 2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]