Software:Zanran
Zanran is a search engine for data and statistics.[1][2] Zanran's focus is on finding graphs, charts and tables on the Internet, which distinguishes it from other search engines such as Google, Bing, etc.[3][4] Unlike a typical search engine, the results—graphs, tables, etc.—can be previewed by mouse-hovering over the thumbnails.[3][5]
History
In 2006, the founders, Dr Yves Dassas and Jon Goldhill, started developing the technology that makes Zanran possible.[2] A limited beta ran, starting in November 2010. The service was launched as a public beta version in May 2011.[3][6][7]
Technology
Zanran has developed two technologies specifically for this application:
- Image ‘classification’ is the ability for a computer to decide whether an image is a graph, a pie-chart etc. as opposed to a photograph or a cartoon. The Zanran algorithms work to over 95% accuracy. This is important because most images on the web are not graphs and otherwise there would be a large number of false positives.
- Text extraction is the process of taking the most appropriate text to describe the graph. This contrasts with a normal search engine where an entire HTML page might be included.
These processes are the subject of Zanran's UK patent.[8] The image processing in particular takes a great deal of computing power. Zanran runs on the Amazon cloud, and uses hundreds of machines at a time.
The service is English-language only as of December 2011.
The company
Zanran Ltd is based in London, UK. It was financed by the founders prior to a private angel investment round in March 2010.
Other data-search on the Internet
Other specialists in the data-search space include WolframAlpha, Infochimps, and Timetric.
References
- ↑ Chartier, Mathieu (May 26, 2011). "Zanran, search engine data and statistics" (in fr). Pcworld.fr. http://www.pcworld.fr/2011/05/26/internet/zanran-moteur-recherche-chiffres-statistiques/515751/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bekkaoui, Selma (May 25, 2011). "Zanran, the new search engine data is available in beta!" (in fr). Fr.techcrunch.com. http://fr.techcrunch.com/2011/05/25/zanran-le-nouveau-moteur-de-recherche-de-chiffres-est-accessible-en-beta/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Marron, Donald (May 16, 2011). "Will Zanran be the Google for data?". The Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Donald-Marron/2011/0516/Will-Zanran-be-the-Google-for-data.
- ↑ [1] Matt McGee SearchEngineLand, 12 May 2011
- ↑ [2] Matthew Hurst, Data Mining Blog, 25 May 2011
- ↑ "Zanran is a new data search engine". 21 June 2011. https://myindigolives.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/zanran-is-a-new-data-search-engine/.
- ↑ [3] Phil Bradley's weblog, 24 May 2011
- ↑ [4] UK patent number GB2457267
External links
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