Smart internet monitor on way

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AN artificially intelligent internet monitoring system that is capable of detecting when there is a major news event or announcement in a user's area of interest and can automatically search other similar sites for updates is being developed.

The smart internet monitoring system is being developed at the University of Tasmania and is aimed at individuals and organisations that require a tool for faster retrieval of updated web information.

The estimated 238 million websites on the internet mean it is no longer practical to use the web as a passive noticeboard to manually search or use directory service-type search engines such as Google, researchers say.

Developed by Byeong-ho Kang from the University's School of Computing and Information Systems, the system can detect and give earlier warning of unexpected events or activities.

A user can list the website or pages they wish to choose to check for updates and then the system regularly monitors them. It will grab an update and classify it to the different categories required for delivery to a user.

The system can detect new information on the internet, filter out useless material and suggest additional sites in which the user may be interested. It can also learn from observing the computer user any new interests they develop and gather new web updates.

Professor Kang said the system provided a more "personalised" service for a user rather than having to sign up for multiple RSS feeds, where the website controlled what and when information was sent.

He said the system was being adopted by some large companies in South Korea following earlier research work. Professor Kang's research has also received funding from the US Air Force, which has an interest in the technology for monitoring terrorism and security.

The system would also be installed at the University's School of Computing and Information Systems in the coming weeks.

While the federal government's rollout of the national broadband network in Tasmania would remove the "digital divide" between the state and the mainland, technical skills and tools such as the smart web monitoring system would also be required at the same time, according to Professor Kang said.

"We need to have appropriate software as well as hardware," Professor Kang said. "Broadband gives the means to bring the National Library into your home today, but it doesn't mean you can search the contents well without software."

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