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\chapter{

The Alexandria Information Habitat: \


Supporting Long-term Information Management}


\leftindent{Michael L. 
Horowitz\footnote{\
\begindata{fnote,538660232}
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\view{fnotev,538660232,12,0,0}Author's present address:  Clarit Corp., 319 
s. Craig, Pittsburgh}

Alexandria Project

Information Technology Center

Carnegie Mellon

}

\indent{
Abstract: It is now possible to provide on-line access to exceptionally 
large amounts of information.  Users, however, do not have the proper tools 
for managing their information over long periods of time.  We must provide 
mechanisms that permit users to organize and manipulate information in ways 
that far exceed simply providing access.  Otherwise, users will spend too 
much time and effort searching for relevant information and maintaining 
implicit organizations and interrelationships separate from the information 
itself.}


Currently, every information source provides its own, fixed data 
organization and searching mechanism, usually enabling equal access to all 
data.  Professionals, however, do not require equal access; they often need 
to locate information they had already seen previously, or related 
information.  For such a user, it is crucial to allow him to create his own 
information organization, one closer to his cognitive view.


Certain professionals, such as researchers, lawyers, and librarians, also 
create new information having well-defined structures.  Thus, the tools 
present in a computing environment for managing information must go beyond 
indexing and querying.  The user must be given the ability to define 
organizations and to create information having those organizations.  In 
addition, users must be able to transform information organized one way 
into other organizations.  Finally, users must be able to interact 
naturally with the information they just organized; thus, it must be 
possible for users to develop mini-applications tuned to new organizations 
easily.


The Information Habitat, being developed by the Alexandria Project at 
Carnegie Mellon University, provides an environment in which users can 
manage their information by taking advantage of such tools.  The Habitat 
provides applications that allow users to create new organizations, to 
incorporate existing information within those organizations, and to define 
mini-applications for information of those organizations.  Of course, the 
Habitat provides standard tools for indexing and querying collections of 
documents.  Finally, other useful management tools (such as background 
processing and authorization support) will also be provided.

\majorheading{\underline{\bold{\
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}}}\bigger{\bigger{\majorheading{\underline{\bold{

The Alexandria Project}}}



\bold{\italic{\center{Personal, long-term management and sharing \


of large amounts of on-line data}}}



\center{\bold{Michael Horowitz

Maria Wadlow

Ann Marks

Todd Jonker}}

\bold{\center{


mlk@cs.cmu.edu}}


======================================================


\center{\underline{\bigger{\bold{Current Solutions}}}}\bold{


\underline{
}\underline{File System}

\indent{
- Single organization

- Poor search support

- Ad hoc interrelationships}

\underline{

Hypertext}

\indent{
- No support for abstractions

- Interrelate multiple databases}

\underline{

Databases}

\indent{
- All applications look the same}\indent{

}}
======================================================


\center{\bold{\underline{\bigger{Application Construction}}}}



\bold{\underline{Layout}}

\leftindent{\bold{- Simple (lines, boxes, text)

- Widgets (button, toggle, text entry)

- Interactors: common organizations}}



\bold{\underline{Interpretation}}

\leftindent{\bold{- Transformations}}



\bold{\underline{To / From Database}}



\underline{\bold{Behavior}}

\leftindent{\bold{- Reaction to Events}}


======================================================


\center{\bold{\underline{Event  Actions}}}


\indent{\bold{- Follow Link

- Execute Query

- Apply Index

- Create New Information

- Cut/Copy/Paste

- Save Changes

- Publish

- More/Less Detail (zoom/pan)

- Different View

- Execute Agent

}}
======================================================


\center{\bold{\bigger{\underline{Interacters}}}}


\leftindent{\bold{- Lists

- Forms

- Tables

- Hierarchies

- Graphs

- Links

- Charts

- "Multi-media"}}

}}
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