Coreference as the Foundations for Link Analysis over Free Text Databases

Coreference annotated data has the potential to substantially increase the domain over which link analysis can be applied. We have developed coreference technologies which relate individuals and events within and across text documents. This in turn leverages the first step in mapping the information in those texts into a more data-base like format suitable for visualization with link driven software. Introduction Coreference is in some sense nature's own hyperlink. For example, the phrase `Alan Turing', `the father of modern computer science', or `he' can refer to the same individual in the world. The communicative function of coreference is the ability to link information about entities across many sentences and documents. In data base terms, individual sentences provide entry records which are organized around entities, and the method of indicating which entity the record is about is coreference. Link analysis is well suited to visualizing large structured databases where generali..