Tools enabling users to deal with the information overload are invaluable for every member of information society. The Ego project, financed by the National Centre for Research and Development (project number NR11-0037-10), is to enable people to semi-automatically create their representations, called virtual identities, to manifest their information needs in various Web sources. The project integrates achievements from the fields of user modelling and identity management. The virtual identity will be an evolving, complex user model. During Internet browsing special software component will collect information about user’s interests and update his virtual identity. Simultaneously, during browsing, a previously created user profile will be presented to information sources. The user will be able to restrict amount and type of information presented to a particular service/source.
Challenges
- Acquisition and integration of information concerning activities of Internet users to build their virtual identities.
- Creation of methods for data analysis to acquire information about users’ information needs.
- Combining achievements from the field of user modelling and identity management to create protocols to manage users’ representations in heterogeneous IT systems environment.
Advantages of the solution
For end-users:
- Content and services better aligned to user needs.
- User-independent automatic creation of a user’s representation during the Web browsing.
- Possibility to restrict an access of a service/source to a specific part of user profile.
- Definition of a future area of interests (by a user) to enable for personalization.
For content and service providers:
- Knowledge on user profile during the first interaction of a user with a source and possibility of immediate personalization.
- Knowledge on users’ information needs, which could also indicate desirable improvements of provided services or content.