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New technology offers graphical search results and improved research capabilities
Vancouver, BC - October 29, 2001 -- Antarctica Systems Inc. (ASI), a leader in the data visualization market, today announced the release of Visual Net 2.0 (VN2.0) and the development of a new personal visualization tool. Where standard database navigation relies on old-fashioned text search technology, Visual Net provides a unique Graphical User Interface, allowing users to browse and navigate information more easily using visual maps.
With a cleaner more organized user interface, Visual Net 2.0 adds two new key features:
Advanced Filter - Filter is a visual translation of traditional text search. After applying the Filter, the Visual Net maps will only display data and categories that match the search parameters entered by the user. The results are organized into topic neighborhoods on the map, with no long lists of text to sort through.
Target Landmarks - Landmarks function as visual bookmarks. They allow users to highlight specific pieces of data by placing graphical icons on the map so users can easily return to them. Landmarks are automatically organized by location and can be personalized with user notes.
"For the BAC library, Visual Net offers our students a more innovative way to research," said Donald Beagle, Library Director at Belmont Abbey College, "VN2.0 allows students to browse a single virtual collection including books, web sites and AV formats that normally wouldn't be shelved together. The new Filter feature allows users to prioritize the resources shown on the map; students can filter based on date, media format or page count to find the most relevant resources."
These new features augment Visual Net's technology that enables users to move from merely looking for information to strategically searching and organizing. They were developed in response to requests from research professionals who rely on their data as a fundamental component of their daily jobs.
"Visual Net 2.0 is important because it makes all data navigation visual," said Tim Bray, CEO of Antarctica Systems Inc. "For the first time, this includes search results - a map of a search result is just as useful as the map of the whole underlying database. There is no technology on the horizon that makes the long-search-result problem go away. For me, the really exciting thing is that VN 2.0 prepares us for the release of Personal Visual Net, which you can apply to your own personal data on your desktop using a dynamic map that works the same for personal data and for huge remote information spaces."
Personal Visual Net (PVN) is a personal information manager and collaboration tool. PVN is a new architecture of VN 2.0 that is a standalone desktop client that allows users to create their own visually rich maps of personal data sets such as computer files or Web sites or as a tool for sharing and collaboration of enterprise information.
"Searching the Web are approximately150 million users who are often frustrated by technology's inability to deliver their searchers in context," commented Dan Rasmus, analyst with the Giga Information Group in his recent report titled "Visualization Tools Key to Exploring Unstructured Content" dated June 4, 2001. "Although traditional search engines remain efficient for finding information on the Internet and intranets when a question is well constructed, they are limited in their ability to provide navigation to associated sources or to allow for the exploration of an information space. Visualization products will become essential knowledge worker tools as information-consumer sophistication increases, information volume continues to rise and metadata about unstructured content becomes more readily available."
Visual Net 2.0 is available now and will be featured at KM World 2001, held in Santa Clara, CA later this month. Personal Visual Net is scheduled for release in early 2002.
About Antarctica Systems Inc.
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Antarctica is a pioneer developer of visual mapping technology, Visual Net. Visual Net is a browser-based information visualization tool based on visual mapping techniques that enables users to navigate and browse information easily across multiple databases and in multiple formats. VN is widely applicable to areas such as research libraries, corporate Intranets, and Ecommerce and cataloging. Visual Net is offered as standalone software or through ASI's partner channel. Antarctica was founded in 1999 by search engine pioneer and XML co-creator Tim Bray. Privately held, Antarctica's investment partners include Royal Bank Capital Partners, the Working Opportunity Fund and Primaxis Technology Ventures Inc. For additional information, please visit antarctica.net or call 866-NET-MAPS.
Antarctica and Visual Net are trademarks or registered trademarks of Antarctica Systems Inc. in Canada and foreign countries. All other referenced trademarks belong to their respective owners.
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