Adding structure to web search with itrails [position paper]

We would like to discuss with workshop participants the iTrails framework for pay-as-you-go information integration, which was recently presented at VLDB 2007 (M. A. V. Salles et al., 2007). iTrails allows users to provide mini-mappings on their data that sharply increase the quality of search results. The core idea is to extend the semantics of a standard graphical search engine such that the quality of search results approaches the quality of a full-blown information integration system. In contrast to (M. A. V. Salles et al., 2007), this paper shows how iTrails can be used to tackle the challenges of adding structured information support to web search engines. We will show how iTrails enriches a web search engine with a powerful query rewriting mechanism enabling this engine to perform not only search but also integration of structured information.