A dynamic RSS information push service mechanism based on ontology of user information needs

Abstract

PurposeThis aim of this article is to propose a technical solution for digital libraries to establish the information needs ontology based on a comprehensive understanding of personalized user information needs and offer an information push service by really simple syndication (RSS) in a ubiquitous computing environment.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the authors formalize an ontology model applicable to the ubiquitous computing environment to describe user information needs comprehensively. The information needs related to the user's research activities are regarded as the ontology, which is described with web ontology language (OWL), and thus an ontology knowledgebase is established. Second, in light of the user's explicit information needs, the digital library finds the hidden information needs from the ontology knowledgebase, and also extracts the information resources required by the user from the corresponding database and then pushes them to the user by means of RSS. Finally, users can browse through a man‐machine interface to access the information.FindingsAfter these steps, an RSS information push service architecture is established based on the user information needs ontology, providing the users with dynamic, personalized and proactive information services.Originality/valueThe innovation of this research lies in the fact that the architecture that is put forward is helpful to improve the accuracy and integrity of information push service of digital library, and is also beneficial for the research on u‐library.