HIFI: hypertext interface for information: multimedia and relational databases

Abstract

HIFI (ESPRIT Project 6532) creates a set of tools to allow a reader to access a large body of heterogeneous information, managed by external databases created beforehand, through a hypertext interface. Information currently found in information systems is based on different media and is usually managed by different tools, like relational databases and a variety of multimedia database systems. Sometimes the need arises to ‘browse’ through the information using an interactive and intuitive interface. Hypertext is probably the best current means for interactive (and possibly intuitive) navigation through a heterogeneous body of information. Available hypertext tools, however, are usually seen as being for managing their own information rather than being an interface for accessing external databases. The HIFI approach is based on a model‐based description of the hypertext application, as it appears to the reader. A declarative and/or operational mapping translates hypertext operations (search, queries and navigation) into operations on the underlying information base and also ‘materialises’ hypertext objects, using objects of the underlying databases. The system also implements methodologies to support the hypertext interface development process. Real‐life applications will be developed to show the validity of the approach, with the cooperation of important end‐users who will cooperate with the project directly, either as partners or sponsors.