We demonstrate the Search Computing framework for multi-domain queries upon ranked data collected from Web sources. Search Computing answers to queries like "Find a good Jazz concert close to a specified location, a good restaurant and a hotel at walking distance" and fills the gap between generic and domain-specific search engines, by proposing new methods, techniques, interfaces, and tools for building search-based applications spanning multiple data services. The main enabling technology is an execution engine supporting methods for rank-join execution upon ranked data sources, abstracted and wrapped by means of a unifying service model. The demo walks through the interface for formulating multi-domain queries and follows the steps of the query engine that builds the result, with the help of run-time monitors that clearly explain the system's behavior. Once results are extracted, the demonstration shows several approaches for visualizing results and exploring the information space.@en

Search computing focuses on building answers to complex search queries (for example, "Where can I attend an interesting conference in my field near a sunny beach?") by interacting with a constellation of cooperating search services, and using result ranking and joining as the dominant factors for service composition. The service computing paradigm has so far been neutral to the specific features of search applications and services. To address this weakness, search computing advocates a new approach in which search, join, and ranking are the central aspects for service composition.@en

We demonstrate Liquid Queries, a novel user interaction paradigm for exploratory multi-domain search upon structured information collected from heterogeneous data sources. Liquid Queries support an exploratory search approach by providing a set of interaction primitives for multi-domain query formulation, result visualization and query refinement, with commands for perusing the result set, changing the visualization of data based on their type (e.g., geographical) and interacting with the remote search services.@en

Current search engines lack in support for multi-domain queries, i.e., queries that can be answered by combining information from two or more knowledge domains. Questions such as "Find a theater close to Times Square, NYC, showing a recent thriller movie, close to a pizza restaurant" have no answer unless the user individually queries different vertical search engines for each domain and then manually combines results. Therefore, the need arises for a special class of search applications that combine different search services. In this paper we propose an architecture aiming at answering multi-domain queries through composition of search services and we provide facilities for the execution of multi-domain queries and the visualization of their results, at the purpose of simplifying the access to the information. We describe our service-based architecture and the implemented optimization and distribution options, and we evaluate the feasibility and performance of our approach.@en

Search Computing defines a new class of applications, which enable end users to perform exploratory search processes over multi-domain data sources available on the Web. These applications exploit suitable models, supported by a framework, that make it possible for expert users to configure the data sources to be searched and the interfaces for query submission and result visualization, by using for such source and interface configurations mash-up tools which do not require programming. This paper presents Search Computing design process and developer roles, together with the conceptual models that represent the foundation of a model-driven approach to Search Computing.@en

Search Computing (SeCo) aims at building search applications that bridge the gap between general-purpose and vertical search engines. SeCo queries extract ranked information about several interconnected domains, such as "hotels", "restaurants" or "concerts", by interacting with Web data sources which are wrapped as search services; an example of query is: "Find a good Jazz concert close to the user's current location, together with close-by good restaurants and hotels". The SeCo system supports the deployment of search applications, by providing a generic software architecture and the tools for service and query registration, for query formulation and execution, and for result browsing. In this demo paper, we focus on the Liquid Query (LQ) interface which supports the iteration over query formulation, result visualization and query refinement, with commands for perusing the result set, changing the visualization of data based on their type (e.g., geographical or temporal) and interacting with the remote search services. It also supports an exploratory search approach, where the user starts by accessing one data source (e.g., an event listing for finding interesting concerts), then is assisted in progressively joining other correlated sources in an interactive exploration of the search space. The exploration paths can be chosen on the fly and the navigation history can be browsed back and forth for cross-checking the retrieved options.@en

Thanks to the Web, access to an increasing wealth and variety of information has become near instantaneous. To make informed decisions, however, we often need to access data from many different sources and integrate different types of information. Manually collecting data from scores of web sites and combining that data remains a daunting task. The ERC projects SeCo (Search Computing) and DIA- DEM (Domain-centric Intelligent Automated Data Extrac- Tion Methodology) address two aspects of this problem: SeCo supports complex search processes drawing on data from multiple domains with a user interface capable of refining and exploring the search results. DIADEM aims to automatically extract structured data from a domain's websites. In this paper, we outline a first approach for integrating SeCo and DIADEM. We discuss how to use the DIADEM methodology to automatically turn nearly any website from a given domain into a SeCo search service. We describe how such services can be registered and exploited by the SeCo framework in combination with services from other domains (and possibly developed with other methodologies).@en