Information Retrieval in Context – IRiX
Workshop at SIGIR 2004 - Sheffield
Peter Ingwersen, Department of Information Studies, Royal School of Library andInformation Science, Copenhagen, Denmark;
Nick Belkin, School of Communication, Information and Library Science,Rutgers University, USA

Introduction.
There is a growing realisation that relevant information will be accessible increasingly
across media and genres, across languages and across modalities. The retrieval ofsuch information will depend on time, place, history of interaction, task in hand, and arange of other factors that are not given explicitly but are implicit in the interaction
and ambient environment, namely the context. IR research is now conducted in multimedia, multi-lingual, and multi-modal environments but largely out of context(Jarvelin & Ingwersen, 2004; Ingwersen & Jarvelin, forthcoming). However, suchcontextual data can be used effectively to constrain retrieval of information thereby
reducing the complexity of the retrieval process. To achieve this, context models fordifferent modalities will need to be developed so that they can be deployed effectively
to enhance retrieval performance. Thus truly context-aware and -dependent retrieval
will become feasible.
Information retrieval in context can mean one of two things. It can mean the design ofmethods and algorithms for IR that are context-aware, that is, able to elicit the implicit
knowledge of the participatory searcher environment related to the context into anexplicit representation. But it can also mean the specification of models for context
and its features that can be used to focus an IR tasks according to such a context.
Commonly, context implies interactive IR and there may exist a stratification ofcontexts in association to IR engines and systems. For example, knowing where asearcher is focussing his or her attention during the interactive session of image
retrieval can enhance the operation of relevance feedback to the system. The
searcher’s current task situation also acts as context as does his or her current
information-seeking situation of which IIR forms part (Cool, 2001). However,traditionally IR research has dealt with contextual features of documents, e.g., otherassociated documents acting as context or document structures and portions
functioning as context for their embedded NLP elements, such as, words nested inparagraphs. The underlying hypothesis (and belief) is that by taking account ofcontext the next generation of retrieval engines dependent on models of context canbe created, designed, developed and evaluated, delivering performance exceeding thatof out-of-context engines.
Participation
The Organizing/Review Committee consisted of the following persons:• Nick Belkin, Rutgers University, USA• Pia Borlund, Royal School of LIS, Aalborg, Denmark• Peter Ingwersen, Royal School of LIS, Copenhagen, Denmark• Ian Ruthven, University of Strathclyde, Scotland• Eero Sormunen, University of Tampere, Finland• Amanda Spink, University of Pittsburgh, USABirger Larsen, Royal School of LIS, Denmark, and Ryen White, Glasgow University,organized the program and publication layout of presentations and the workshop
website: http://ir.dcs.gla.ac.uk/context
The workshop attracted 15 position paper submissions, which were reduced via peer
reviewing to 8 presentations with underlying papers, each maximum 2.500 words
long, 2 demos and three panel presentations. We chose to allow for several
presentations in order to obtain a diversified perspective on IR in context at this – thefirst SIGIR workshop on the topic. The structure of the program was such: first apanel presented three different approaches to IR in context: conceptual models ofIRiX; context viewed from the perspective of IR systems design and evaluation; andthe presentation of elements of a research framework for investigating IRiX.
This was followed by three sessions including discussion time: one session dealt withModels and General Approaches to IRiX; a second one presented IRiX Applications,including demos; and the third focussed on Mixing Contextual Evidence andRepresentations. The workshop ended with a wrapping up session and discussion offuture tracks of IR in Context.
A total of 47 participants showed up at the workshop on July 29, whereby the IRiX
workshop proved to be the largest one during SIGIR2004. Following the workshop alist of participants with e-mails has been distributed among the participants. Most ofthe presentations have also been made publicly available online at the workshop
website, see above.
Workshop contents, recommendations and discussions
One might sum up the workshop into three major lines of action, preparing for followup events in coming years:
1. What are the elements of context, which are potentially significant to
information retrieval?
a. Work task and other task or interest featuresb. Searcher features
c. System featuresd. Document featurese. Environmental/physical features
f. Temporal features
2. Which of these categories/elements are, or could be useful in improving
information retrieval?
a. This is dependent upon the situationb. This is also dependent upon the goal of the searcher
3. How can features of context be used to improve information retrieval?
a. We need to develop methods of investigation, test beds, evaluation
measures and techniquesb. We need to explore potential operationalizations of aspects of context
Some efforts of capturing context features have been made in previous decades ofinteractive IR research, e.g., concerned with searcher goals and problem situations(Belkin, Oddy & Brooks, 1982). However, there is a lot of room for investigatingmore intensively and specifically the nature of context associated with IR – and its
usefulness to retrieval and seeking processes.
It was also evident to the participants that in future workshop events one should focus
more on selected but central aspects of IRiX, for instance, contextual features andevidence that may support performance improvement and the suitable evaluation
methodologies. It was suggested during workshop discussions that organizers should
restrict the number of presentations in future, in order to make room for deeper
discussion on such selected areas of research. This will be done at forthcoming eventsof IRiX.
Concluding remarks
We believe that everybody participating in the workshop agree that the topic is centralto IR research and should be followed up at the ensuing SIGIR Conference in Brazil.
It was especially interesting to note that a range of promising context-based IRmodels currently are under development and that demos of context-sensitive systems
were feasible, mainly due to new (mobile) technologies, already at this primary event.
Where the present workshop attempted to provide some sort of overview of issues andmodels of IRiX it seems now important to focus on specific facets of contextual IR.
We hope to be allowed this possibility in 2005 in Salvador, Brazil.
References.
Belkin, N.J., Oddy, R.N. & Brooks, H. (1982). ASK for information retrieval. Journalof Documentation, 38(3): 145-164.
Cool, C. (2001) The concept of situation in information science. Annual Review ofInformation Science and Technology, v. 35: 5-42.
Ingwersen, P. & Jarvelin, K. (forthcoming). The Turn: Integration of Information
Seeking and Retrieval in Context. Research monograph. Springer/Kluwer. 500 p.
Järvelin, K. & Ingwersen, P. (2004). "Information seeking researchneeds extension toward tasks and technology". Information Research,10(1) paper 212 [Available at http://InformationR.net/ir/10-1/paper212.html]