Could New Search Technology Eclipse Google? May 18th, 2009
Portia Krebs

Imagine an Internet search tool that responds to your fact-based questions with a mini-dossier of online information that extends far beyond Google’s simple key word searches or Wikipedia’s encyclopedic database.  Meet Wolfram Alpha, a “computational knowledge engine,” which launched this May and has the IT industry buzzing.

What’s all the fuss?  Well, it’s a few things, actually.  Beyond Wolfram Alpha’s ability to answer a question factually and thoroughly with a page of related information complete with graphs, charts, and footnotes, it can actually perform calculations and analysis on the fly too.  Recent reporting of the technology reveals Wolfram Alpha can compare the height of Mount Everest to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge; pinpoint the exact location of the International Space Station; or even describe the weather in London on the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Invented by award-winning physicist Dr. Stephen Wolfram, the website is derived from a unique blend of math, technology, and human assessment.  Unlike Wikipedia, where anyone can provide information, the massive volume of information fueling Wolfram Alpha is “curated” by experts.  The website’s computational engine is built on Dr. Wolfram’s previous invention and book, Mathematica, as well as a system developed to understand queries.  And the final piece Wolfram Alpha promises is technology that displays results in diverse and engaging ways.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 2:24 pm and is filed under Benefits of Broadband. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.