Optimizing Enterprise KnowledgeDr. Gautam Shroff, Head, TCS Innovation Labs - DelhiDelhi A key ingredient in Knowledge Systems are computing platforms that support knowledge creation through collaboration, tools for information retrieval (search), as well as technology to effectively disseminate knowledge. Such systems can empower organizations to better capture, exploit and improve enterprise knowledge. The TCS Innovation Labs at Delhi have been working in this area and our research activitiesin Improving Enterprise Knowledge focus on four main areas:
Natural Language Interaction with ApplicationSystems One of our key achievements in the past year has been the productization of NATAS, a system that enables Natural Language Interaction with Application Systems using which the system responds to simple enquires received in an ordinary email, such as queries about the status of a pending request or a request for flight schedules. NATAS parses an email, to retrieve the required information and responds through email. NATAS interacts with applications at two different levels, either by directly accessing the application database, or through their front-end user-interface via TCS' e-script UI-integration tool. Enterprise Search and Next Generation Knowledge Management Knowledge Management (KM) is another of our focus areas. While current KM systems use fixed taxonomy that gets outdated easily, they usually also ignore relevant information stored in structured databases. Most importantly, since information requires to be uploaded to a central system, the entire enterprise knowledge remains confined to the user's desktop. However, through our research on Next Generation KM and Enterprise Search we are working towards building KM systems that include investigation of semantic search using automatic topic discovery, centralized indexing of distributed desktops, and search on structured data We are also exploring the use of search technology within applications that structured data, such as databases, as well as a mix of structured and unstructured data. For example, we have built-in a `keyword-search on databases' into TCS' InstantApps platform. The ability to search structured (or mixed) data in a manner similar to searching documents on the web provides an alternative and useful means to retrieve relevant records faster. Workplace Collaboration in a 3D Virtual Office With today's organizations transcending the confines of geography and time-zone, a relevant question we face is, do we still need offices?– another of our ongoing projects is helping us evolve some exciting new possibilities. Imagine a 3D virtual world identical to an office that extends the concept of a virtual office beyond e-mail and messenger tools to enable informal and impromptu conversations. Such solutions could foster unforeseen collaboration boosting employee productivity regardless of their physical location. We have developed Virtual Office, a system that augments traditional collaboration tools such as email and IM with an immersive 3D experience. Using Virtual Office, distributed teams can collaborate better; remote supervision becomes more personal, TCS' customers can interact informally with their offshore teams. The core technology of Virtual Office is also being used to develop extensions, such as a Virtual Auditorium, and a Virtual Library. We view these extensions as first steps towards further enabling distributed global conferences as well as virtual education and training. Web 2.0 in the Enterprise Enterprise knowledge has traditionally been restricted to documents, taxonomies and workflow. The arrival of social software on the internet and, the subsequent knowledge ecosystem it has fostered due to its participative, collective and freeform nature (wikis, blogs etc), have made enterprise knowledge management an archaic practice. TCS' Knome is an integrated, extensible platform that brings together the best of consumer Web 2.0 knowledge patterns, such as Social Q&A, Collaborative Ideation, Debates, Blogs, Wikis, Multimedia (documents, audio/video podcasts), and Microblogging (such as Twitter) A unique differentiator in Knome is its powerful cross-referencing trackback system, which constantly monitors content created and unearths similarities and connections between different types of content. In the past year Knome has received a promising market response, with the small and medium businesses as well as several large customers going beyond pilots to live deployments. Therefore, Knome is now being spun out from R&D as a business initiative that will build custom verticalized extensions of Knome, in different industries, such as for product-life cycle collaboration in manufacturing, or analyst collaborating in financial services. Conclusions and Future Directions The research projects described above aim to improve enterprise knowledge by (a) making it more easily accessible (i.e., the NATAS and Enterprise Search projects) and (b) facilitating the collaborative creation of knowledge (i.e., the Virtual Office and Web 2.0 projects). As these projects mature we hope to be able to address additional avenues towards the above goals, such as accessing and visualizing knowledge using innovative human-computer interfaces such as speech, gestures, and augmented reality. Further, as smart mobile phone as an alternate computing platform becomes ubiquitous we expect the possible extension of virtual reality and Web 2.0 platforms to embrace this platform as well. More InformationDistributed Content Management System |
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