Building Lightweight Semantic Search Engines

Despite significant advances in methods for processing large volumes of structured and unstructured data, surprisingly little attention has been devoted to developing practical methodologies that leverage state-of-the-art technologies to build domain-specific semantic search engines tailored to use cases where they could provide substantial benefits. This paper presents a methodology for developing these kinds of systems in a lightweight, modular, and flexible way with a particular focus on providing powerful search tools in domains where non-expert users encounter challenges in exploring the data repository at hand. Using an academic expertise finder tool as a case study, we demonstrate how this methodology allows us to leverage powerful off-the-shelf technology to enable the rapid, low-cost development of semantic search engines, while also affording developers with the necessary flexibility to embed user-centric design in their development in order to maximise uptake and application value.