21. Conclusions

In chapter 1 we started by covering the basics of the information retrieval and navigation in cyberspace problem. We have subsequently given a broad overview over the field and have introduced the seven concepts of navigation in cyberspace: linking, searching, sequentialization, hierarchy, similarity, mapping, and agents. Our own cybertools Hiermap, Navigation Diamond, Viewfinder, CYBERMAP, and Cybertree cover a broad range of promising new research directions in the hypermedia research community. By integrating dynamic linking and the automatic generation of an overview map we have created a unique toolset that integrates the best of both worlds. We have extended CYBERMAP by allowing hierarchical nestings of hyperdrawers. We have also presented a broad range of cybertool applications. The cybertools complement existing navigational aids for hyperdocuments and provide a self sufficient navigation tool for browsing in the docuverse. Finally, the cybertools offer the capability of horizontal growth and easy hypertextualization of non-hypertextual documents without restricting the use of already installed browsing mechanisms. To the best of our knowledge, there is no such system as ours, that combines hierarchy, similarity, and mapping concepts to give an overview and quick access to large collections of information.

In the introduction we outlined our vision of the ideal tool for navigating in hyperspace. It should be a tool that operates on "raw", unstructured documents, is capable of giving users an overview of their field of interest, offers guidance of what to do next, and gives a graphical overview of the most relevant piece of information in reply to a query. While the cybertoolset is not yet the ideal tool envisioned in the introduction, it nevertheless addresses our requirements: it operates on structured as well as unstructured data without the need for manual preprocessing, it creates an overview map of the information collection to be explored, it filters out the most relevant information based on the user's interests and provides sequential and hierarchical navigation, and it offers options of what the reader can do next. The cybertoolset thus illustrates that our ideas can be realized and are extremely useful for the navigation and information exploration task. While there is still a long way left to go to Gibson's cyberspace, we think that our toolset can provide at least a small step towards making Gibson's world more lifeable.

After this in-depth treatment of how to structure information for better access and navigation, part II will now address the second element of hypermedia design, presentation. We will introduce a particular idea for presenting and visualizing complex concepts, algorithm animation.