_Self-Organized Alerting and Search Services_

   In a recent posting , I informed various e-lists of the availability of
a sophisticated index to _Astrophysical Journal_ that was brought to my
attention by Peter B. Boyce - Senior Consultant for Electronic Publishing,
American Astronomical Society (AAS)

           [http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Web4Lib/archive/0101/0200.html ]

   This index makes uses of an artificial intelligence, neural network
technique known as Self-Organized Feature (or Semantic) Maps (SOMs)
developed by Teuvo Kohonen [ http://www.cis.hut.fi/teuvo/ ] and colleagues
at the Helsinki University of Technology, Laboratory of Computer and
Information Science, Neural Networks Research Centre [
http://www.cis.hut.fi/research/ ] and elsewhere.

[Prof. Kohonen is author of numerous papers on SOMs (and other subjects)
as well as editions of _Self-Organizing Maps_ published by Springer
[http://www.springer-ny.com/detail.tpl?ISBN=3540620176 ]

   In thinking about the potential benefit of navigating Information Space
with the _Astrophysical Journal_, it occurred to me the application of SOM
to a database of e-journal TOC and/or abstract Alerts would provide
highly-valued added access that could greatly facilitate and improve
access and use of the content of such alerts.

  SOM might also be quite useful in navigating the contents of hosted user
Filing Cabinets for saved articles by readers [SEE EJI(sm), my latest
registry devoted to innovative e-journal features, functionalities, and
content]

[ http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/EJI.htm ]

for examples of Virtual Filing Cabinets

[One could also envision a SOM database to navigate the citations of an
individual e-journal articles and their associated links adding
visualization to the CrossRef project [ http://www.crossref.org/ ] and
other reference linking projects]

    I'd appreciate any reactions to my proposals and would be in Seventh
Heaven to learn that such applications indeed do already exist! [Other
potential application in navigating e-journal features, functions, and
content would also be of interest]

    As Always, Any and All contributions, comments, queries, questions,
critiques, Cosmic Insights, Super Bowl Predictions, etc., etc., etc.. are
Most Welcome!

    Regards,

/Gerry McKiernan
Self-Organized AND Alert Librarian
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck@iastate.edu