Semantic search isn't a one horse race

Some people's excitement about semantic technology boils down to who's going to use the technology to leapfrog Google. This rather misses the point about semantic technology which has many application areas beyond search (see, for example, Michael Brodie's interesting post on this). But beating Google will continue to be a popular angle for discussing the future of the technology (and indeed information technology overall). It can be misleading though as is demonstrated by a recent article. This misses the point somewhat by suggesting prospects for semantic search are summed up by what Microsoft-owned Powerset offers and that against Google this isn't much more than hype. Besides seeming unduly negative about Powerset, the article's tone tars all semantic search products with the same brush, missing the fact that companies like Expert System, Hakia and Yahoo are reportedly getting positive results from their semantic search forays. Expert System are now looking at semantic matching in search engine advertising which they claim is more accurate than can be achieved by traditional technology. And, yes, my now-traditional plug: you can get this much wider and richer picture about the state of semantic search at ESTC 2008, along with presentations on the application of semantic technology to service-oriented environments, information integration, knowledge management and more.