A DEMPSTER-SHAFER MODEL OF RELEVANCE

Abstract

We present a model for representing relevance and classification decisions of multiple catalogers in the context of a hierarchical bibliographical database. The model is based on the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence. Concepts like ambiguous relevance, inexact classification, and pooled classification, are discussed using the nomenclature of belief functions and Dempster's rule. The model thus gives a normative framework in which one can describe and address many problematic phenomena which characterize the way people classify and retrieve documents.