Linguistic Technology Corporation (LTC) unveiled EasyAsk eCom 1.0, a new natural language question/answer search technology for e-commerce. EasyAsk eCom allows retail consumers, business-to-business buyers and merchants to interact with e-commerce product catalogs and purchase history using plain English. EasyAsk eCom features an extensive vocabulary (dictionary) that is automatically extended upon installation by interrogating the underlying e-commerce database. The dictionary, which can be enhanced dynamically, contains product attributes found in the database and: synonyms, structured hierarchies, and business logic. An Agent feature can monitor the e-commerce database and notify managers of the occurrence of key events. EasyAsk eCom is available immediately. Pricing includes an initial license fee of $5,000 plus a monthly usage and support fee of
Year: 1999 (Page 54 of 97)
Webb Interactive Services, Inc. announced that it has incorporated the WebLogic Server from BEA Systems, Inc. as its application server platform for delivering XML-based components. Webb’s XML-based publishing technology creates a new platform for publishing and aggregating local content and commerce information that is capable of supporting tens of thousands of small businesses. Using XML and Java as the underlying technology will better allow Webb to leverage the content in a way that enables consumers to shop more easily and enables merchants to publish and promote their products far more effectively. www.webb.net
Aurigin Systems, announced an agreement with Cartia, Inc. to integrate its ThemeScape visualization software into the Aurigin Intellectual Property Asset Management (IPAM) system.. Cartia’s ThemeScape will be available from Aurigin as a standard add-on component of the Aurigin IPAM system. Cartia’s ThemeScape will enable IPAM customers to integrate diverse content, automatically extract the core themes and topics, and organize them into an interactive thematicmap. Similar in appearance to topographical maps, thematic maps are a visual representation of a collection of documents arranged by thematic content. www.cartia.comm, www.aurigin.com
webMethods, Inc., and MRO.com, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSDI, announced the companies have entered a strategic partnership to deliver a series of XML-based e-Commerce solutions to PSDI customers. Under the agreement, PSDI will incorporate webMethods’ XML technology into MRO.com, PSDI’s business-to-business e-Commerce network that connects buyers and suppliers over the Internet. MRO.com is an online marketplace that supports the procurement, management, control and purchase of all MRO goods and services. Using webMethods B2B, MRO.com will provide buyers with direct access to Web-hosted and XML-based catalogs and real-time connections to the back-end systems of their suppliers, further reducing the typically high costs associated with traditional, paper-based MRO processes. In addition, PSDI plans to extend its XML-enabled set of Java-based business application interfaces to further enhance MAXIMO, its industry leading EAM system, for business-to-business integration with enterprise systems. This will allow integration with applications and systems from a wide array of vendors inside or outside the firewall. www.webmethods.com, www.psdi.com
Open Market, Inc. announced that it has partnered with SpeechWorks International, Inc. Open Market will be working with SpeechWorks to sell commerce solutions coupling Transact with SpeechSite, a new solution announced today by SpeechWorks, to provide customers with a single speech activated system that gives customers the ability to conduct commerce, even if they do not have access to a computer. Working with Transact, SpeechSite will enable customers to purchase products and services, and check order status, from any telephone. www.openmarket.com
IntraNet Solutions, Inc. has announced two new products — Intra.doc!
Uniscape announced the launch of its E-Services Translation Portal (ETP), Uniscape.com, a vertical marketplace for translation services that enables businesses to conduct multi-lingual e-commerce. Uniscape.com will enable companies to make human translation quicker, more efficient and reusable. Using Uniscape.com, companies will have the ability to work with translators anywhere in the world and offer them free use of Uniscape’s XML-based Translator Studio. The technology is designed specifically to aid the human translation process by offering access to a scalable translation memory database, workflow automation, content management, reporting and filtering technology. As the translators do their work, it is captured in a scalable translation memory database, where it can be automatically reused across a company’s future translation projects. When content is updated on a Web site or new content is created, the system automatically checks to see if the key terminology, sentences or paragraphs have ever been translated previously. Prior translations are automatically pulled from the database and translators complete the partially translated files using Translator Studio. Companies are charged a minimal transaction fee of a few pennies for each word processed, with discounts based on the overall translation volume and percentage of reuse. Workflow automation automatically routes files and communications between content producers, translators, reviewers, quality assurance and publishers; according to a company’s own business rules and objectives. Reporting capabilities enable companies to track every aspect of their translation and publishing activities. The site will be open in September. Pricing is determined by number of words to be translated and volume of reuse. www.uniscape.com
Microsoft Corp. announced it will hold an open design review for gathering industry feedback on new metadata extensions that will enable a business to integrate its line-of-business, data warehousing, and knowledge management environments. Also today, the Meta Data Coalition (MDC) formally announced that the Open Information Model (OIM) has been accepted as the metadata standard. The proposed extensions to the OIM capture business knowledge such as goals, objectives, processes and rules, as well as terminology and categorizations, enabling the automated linkage between a wide variety of business information types. This linkage is needed for the creation of enterprise information portals or “digital dashboards,” which enable real-time decision-making by providing businesses with a single window into all their information. The OIM extensions are the result of extensive collaboration with industry partners and represent the first milestone in the effort initiated with the Meta Data Coalition in December 1998. The open design review period for the new model extensions begins today with the availability of preliminary specifications for the following three models: Knowledge description model, Business engineering model, and Business rule model. This phase of the open design process is expected to conclude with an industry partner review in fall of 1999, where updated specifications, final input and early product demonstrations will be presented. Information about obtaining a copy of the specifications and providing feedback during the design review period is available through the Microsoft Web site at www.microsoft.com/repository/ or the Meta Data Coalition Web site at www.mdcinfo.com
