Science.gov version 4.0 released
February 20th, 2007
Science.gov is a search engine for government science information and research results. Currently in its fourth generation, Science.gov provides search of more than 50 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to over 1,800 scientific Web sites.
Science.gov 1.0 was launched in December 2002, providing for the first time wide public access and a unified search of the government’s vast stores of scientific and technical information. Science.gov is an interagency initiative of 16 U.S. government science organizations within 12 Federal agencies. These agencies form the voluntary Science.gov Alliance.
In May 2004 Version 2.0 was launched, introducing real-time relevancy ranking to government science retrieval. This technology, funded by the Department of Energy, helps citizens sort through the government’s reservoirs of research and return results most likely to meet individual needs. An advanced search capability and other enhancements were added.
A free and convenient “Alert” service was released in February 2005, allowing citizens to receive e-mail alerts about the most current science developments in their areas of interest. Up to 25 relevant results from selected information sources can be delivered. Results are displayed in the Alert email and in a personalized Alert Archive, which stores six weeks of alerts results. In the Archive, past activity can be reviewed and Alert profiles edited.
Science.gov 3.0 took relevancy ranked search to a higher level of precision. Launched in November 2005, Version 3.0 provided more refined search queries of federal science databases. Science.gov 3.0 deploys a sophisticated method for ranking science query results by using a complex system of metadata elements, when available, including information within title, author, date, abstract and/or other keyword identifiers. In addition, greatly enhanced fielded searching and the extensive Boolean capabilities offer new search options for Science.gov users.
In February 2007, the Science.gov Alliance launched version 4.0, which allowed even further refinement of search queries. For the first time, patrons could search within their original results. In addition, the relevancy ranking algorithms became more sophisticated, providing ranking of the entire full text of documents on sites where searchable full text resides. Date of the document was priority-weighted for ranking purposes. A new feature allows patrons to share search results via e-mail with colleagues and friends.
Entry Filed under: Research tools, Research databases, Announcements
