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Search Explanations
Searching: Searches
focus primarily on titles (or names) not on text in profile paragraphs. Each
database can be searched by:
- Keyword(s):
use upper or lower case, without or without accents (which are ignored); non-English
words will retrieve organizations which use such words in their titles; for
organizations, some common keywords (eg world, international) will only generate
results if they are paired with the word immediately following in a title
(eg world government)
- Phrase
string: specify word string (case is ignored); quotes are unnecessary
- Subject
area: use any keyword and entries in the same subject area as that keyword
will be retrieved (if the keyword has been subject coded); non-English words
may also be used to retrieve profiles from all databases, even if the profiles
do not contain the non-English word
- Browse
names: use to explore the alphabetic sequence of entry names for the database
selected (ignores any typed keyword). The names provide an alternative entry
to the database
- Browse
subjects:use
to explore the entry names within subject groups for the database selected.
If a keyword is typed in, it provides access to the specific subject group,
if one can be associated with the keyword. The names provide an alternative
entry to the database
There are additional
search features (to be activated later) with respect to geographical and meeting
information.
Off-site web searching:
Search extension to off-site documents is possible from any of the document
titles once retrieved by any of the above methods. Click on the code [W]
preceding the title to activate a search engine based on the title as a phrase.
Advanced search
(available to Registered Users): Before submitting
the search query, you can also specify:
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Sort
order (of search results)
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Extras
(presented
with search results) |
| None
(which is faster): Index list unsorted |
Alternative
names/titles: In the case of organizations, these will be official names
in other languages. In other cases, it will be alternative names holding
other relevant keywords. |
| Title
or name: Sort by name |
Analysis
details: For the assiduous user this option presents a coded overview of
the contents of an entry. Amount of text, number of cross-references, kinds
of links to other entries, notably in other databases. |
| Date
(for meetings): Sort by date of meeting |
. |
| Foundation
year (for organizations): Sort by creation year |
. |
| Type
(alphabetic codes A, B, C are used): These tend to distinguish entries by
degree of universality or generality, with higher letters representing greater
specifity. F is used to indicate fuzzy or unclassifiable entities. J is
used as a provisional coding for new entries. |
. |
| Display:
This offers the possibility of choosing to display the results as a
conventional list or as a map |
Profile
content
(of entry selected
from search results) |
| List:
Search results presented as a list of names hyperlinked to profiles |
Full
text profile |
| Map:
Search results presented as an interactive map (java applet) with the possibility
of hyperlinking to profiles or to further maps. See explanation (http://www.uia.org/dyna/mapexplan.htm) |
Paragraph
profile (clickable for content) |
| . |
Minimum
(web address only) |
Selection:
The following options concern optional constraints on what is presented
as a result of the search. The options work primarily in the case of the World
Problems, Strategies, Human Development and Values databases -- otherwise the
default search results are presented.
- All
entries (default): This lists all entries resulting from the search
- Tree-tops:
This lists only those entries which are at the top of a hierarchy and have
narrower entries cited.
- No-tree:
This lists only those entries which are not part of a hierarchy, namely with
hyperlinks to broader and/or narrower entries. These often consitute errors
calling for editorial intervention (when resources permit)
- Sources:
This lists only those entries which are a source of effects on other problems
(or strategies), and have none indicated as impacting on them. They call for
careful examination, raising the question whether appropriate links from other
sources should not be introduced.
- Sinks:
This lists only those entries which are receiving effects from other problems
(or strategies), and have none indicated on which they themselves impact.
They call for careful examination, raising the question whether appropriate
links onwards to other entries should not be introduced.
- Loops:
This lists only those entries which have been identified as part of loops
of aggravating effects. these loops may pass through up to seven intervening
entries.
Special:
The following options concern those databases for which user feedback and
editing facilities have been implemented -- otherwise the default applies. They
therefore apply primarily to the the World Problems, Strategies, Human Development
and Values databases
- Profiles
(default): The selection is for entries in the core database.
- Comments:
The selection is for entries in the database on which on-line feedback has
been received from users
- Edited:
The selection is for entries in the database which have been amended via authorized
editors on the web. The result of such editing is that changed text paragraphs
overlay those in the profile presented from the source database, although
the original version can be accessed (see "Original" at the top
of the profile page)
- Humour:
This experimental facilty is designed to accumulate insightful humour relevant
to particular problems or strategies. Selecting this option will present only
those those entries with which jokes are associated.
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Hotlist: When accessing any profile, users
can save it into a personalized hotlist. Using this checkbox, ensures that
the contents of the hotlist (for the selected database) is presented --
instead of the results of any normal search.
Full text and other
search possibilities:
Other search possibilities are available in the case of the CD-ROM
products.
Translation
We continue to experiment
with the advantages offered by the Systran
facility on the Altavista
Translation Service search engine. When activated, users can try
out automatic translations of the demo profile entries from each profile page.
Since Systran is only offering this on a trial/sample basis, the translation
will cease after processing "approximately 5k" of text. But this is
quite an amazing facility for those who would prefer languages other than English.
On offer is English to: Spanish, German, French, Italian,
Portuguese.
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