Web usage mining

Abstract

Web usage mining is the application of data mining techniques to discover usage patterns from Web data, in order to understand and better serve the needs of Web-based applications. Web usage mining consists of three phases, namely preprocessing, pattern discovery , and pattern analysis . This paper describes each of these phases in detail. Given its application potential, Web usage mining has seen a rapid increase in interest, from both the research and practice communities. This paper provides a detailed taxonomy of the work in this area, including research efforts as well as commercial offerings. An up-to-date survey of the existing work is also provided. Finally, a brief overview of the WebSIFT system as an example of a prototypical Web usage mining system is given.