Academic year 2014-15
Information Technologies
| Degree: | Code: | Type: |
| Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science | 21419 | Compulsory subject, 2nd year |
| Bachelor's Degree in Telematics Engineering | 21771 | Optional subject |
| Bachelor's Degree in Audiovisual Systems Engineering | 21658 | Optional subject |
| ECTS credits: | 4 | Workload: | 100 hours | Trimester: | 3rd |
| Department: | Dept. of Information and Communication Technologies |
| Coordinator: | Ricardo Baeza Yates |
| Teaching staff: | |
| Language: | |
| Timetable: | |
| Building: | Communication campus - Poblenou |
This course aims to introduce the basic concepts of information retrieval and their application to the technology of Web search engine. Emphasis will be given to retrieval models and most important evaluation techniques, including techniques for building hierarchies of Web pages. We will introduce the most widely used text index, the inverted index, how to build it and how to use it. We will also study how to solve scalability issues when the volume of data and queries increases. Finally, these concepts will be applied to other types of structured data such as XML text and multimedia, as well as their application to specific domains, such as legal and health corpora.
Knowledge about programming and basic data structures. It is also recommended to know string processing operations, along with notions of XML, algorithms and machine learning. Advanced knowledge in the use of Web search engines is also implied
Skills to work on in the course as indicated in the curriculum of the degree.
| Competencias transversales | Competencias específicas |
|---|---|
|
Instrumental G1. Capacity for analysis and synthesis G2. Ability to organize and plan G3. Ability to apply knowledge to analyze situations and solve problems G4. Ability in searching and information management G5. Ability in decision making G6. Capability to communicate properly both oraly and in writing, in Catalan and Spanish, both to expert and inexperienced audiences Interpersonal G8. Ability to teamwork Systemic G14. Capability to motivate for quality and achievement
|
Specific Professional Skills H4. Independent learning new skills and techniques suitable for the conception, development and operation of computer systems. Specific Skills Basic Training B14. know the theoretical fundamentals of programming and use of practical methods and programming languages for the development of software systems. B16. Knowing the basics of the architecture of computers and servers, as well as the principles of operating systems. Specific Skills Computer Engineering IN15. Understand the fundamentals of the bases of unstructured data (documentaries and multimedia) and related techniques of classification and information retrieval. IN36. Know and understand the principles of different methods and architectures of multimedia information, and be able to apply the most appropriate for each problem. Specific Skills Common to the branch of Telecommunications T7. Ability to learn and use architecture and design methodology, verification and validation of software. T8. Ability to perform real programming, concurrent, distributed, event-driven time as well as the design of human-computer interfaces. Competencies specific technology: Audiovisual Systems AU37. Learn the basic techniques of data mining and web word and ability to apply them to concrete problems. AU39. Mastery of advanced techniques of intelligent information search on the web. |
To pass the course it is necessary to pass the exam at the end of the course and pass five lab exercises. These exercises will be reviewed and graded by the lab teachers during the lab sessions. Lab sessions are held in groups of 3 students.
By the end of the semester there will be an exam covering all materials from the whole semester, and a minimum grade of 5 is required. The final grade for the course is the weighted sum of three parts:
- Seminars, 10% not recoverable.
- Lab, 30% not recoverable.
- Final exam 60% recoverable in July.
To pass the course, you must pass each of the three parts separately
Content blocks
1. Information retrieval concepts
2. Text retrieval indexes
3. Web search engines
4. Applications of retrieval technology
Content block 1.- Information retrieval concepts
| Concepts | Procedures | Attitudes |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Models 2. Text and query processing 3. Evaluation |
1. Programming |
1. Clarity and neatness in the execution of the lab exercises |
Content block 2.- Indexes
| Concepts | Procedures | Attitudes |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Building
2. Search
|
1. Programming |
1. Clarity and neatness in the execution of the lab exercises |
Content block 3.- Web search engines
| Concepts | Procedures | Attitudes |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Architecture of Web search engines 2. Hierarchy of Web pages 3. Scalability |
1. Programming 2. Advanced use of Web search engines
|
1. Clarity and neatness in the execution of the lab exercises |
Content block 4.- Applications of retrieval technology
| Concepts | Procedures | Attitudes |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Multimedia 2. Structured text in XML 3. Specific domains |
1. Problem solving in class |
1. Active participation in the seminars |
The theory sessions, all in the large group, introduce the basic theoretical concepts and show the appropriate procedures for solving problems. The seminar sessions will discuss the applications of the introduced theoretical concepts. Laboratory sessions will be dedicated to programming the different elements of a search engine. The goal is twofold: on the one hand students should understand and consolidate the theoretical concepts, and on the other hand they will serve as indicators for evaluating the achievement of competencies related to search technologies. Work outside the classroom basically consists in finding additional information, solving proposed problems, preparing lab exercises and previous studying
| Activities in the classroom | Activities outside the calssroom | Evaluation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topics | Large group | Lab | Seminar | Preparation of labs | Personal study and problem solving | Exam | |
|
Introduction |
2 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
1. Information retrieval concepts
|
6 |
2 |
|
4 |
12 |
|
|
| 2. Indexes | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | |||
| 3. Web search engines | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 4. Applications | 6 | 9 | |||||
| Evaluation | 3 | ||||||
|
Total: |
18 |
10 |
8 |
20 |
41 |
3 |
Total: 100 |
Sources of information for learning. Textbooks (paper and partially digital)
· BAEZA-YATES, Ricardo; RIBEIRO-NETO, Berthier: Modern Information Retrieval, Second Edition. Addison-Wesley, 2011. Website: www.mir2ed.org.
Sources of information for learning. Further reading (digital)
· MANNING, Chris; Raghavan, Prabhakar; Schütze, Heinrich: Introduction to Information Retrieval, Cambridge University Press. 2008. Website: www.informationretrieval.org