The Parser, the FactBase, the RuleBase, the Augmenter. The Parser analyzes in-coming disaster news. It uses template-based matching to extract the characteristic items reported in a disaster article. Processing of unrestricted text by computer is difficult as a computer program cannot infer the meaning of natural language accurately. However, stylized text, such as disaster news, with a restricted vocabulary and predictable sentence patterns, allows a more accurate extraction of content.
PLUM takes advantage of the structure and wording of stereotypical disaster articles.
The FactBase contains information on the readers' home communities, the disaster-struck countries and the history of natural disasters. The cities, Boston, Massachusetts, Bellefontaine, Ohio, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Helsinki, Finland and Tampere, Finland serve as prototype home communities. New home communities can be added. The RuleBase defines how PLUM augments text. The rules define how to compare distances, areas, quantities, and currencies in the disaster site with those in the home community.