I-SEE: An intelligent search agent for electronic commerce

With the recent advent of widespread, cheap, reliable, and easy access to the Internet via the World Wide Web, information-processing is moving away from an expensive, document-based, paper-oriented approach to a faster, cheaper, electronic, Internet-based approach. Electronic commerce on the Internet is increasing at an explosive rate. Nonetheless, the spread of E-commerce is hindered by the Web's huge and diffusive extent, its distributed and heterogeneous markets, and the heavy user load entailed in finding and purchasing products. As the amount of electronic data increases, it becomes burdensome for users to find what they want. There are many search systems designed to solve these problems, but none is able to adapt and filter information for the individual user. The authors have designed a new product-finding agent named I-SEE (Intelligent SEarching AgEnt for Electronic Commerce). It is an autonomous product-finding and -filtering system that supports users from requirement acquisition to supplying specific product information.