European awareness action on information retrieval and neuroscience
The European Commission's Information Society Project Office (ISPO) has published a report on the "Interdisciplinary European awareness action on information retrieval and neuroscience". The aim of the action was to explore the knowledge of information retrieval systems among neuroscientists, and evaluate the applications of information retrieval systems in neuroscience in Europe. In view of the diversity of disciplines within neurosciences, and the lack of contact between these and between neuroscientists in different countries, the action aimed to demonstrate the advantages in bringing neuroscientists into closer contact with each other. The action included a seminar at which both neuroscientists and information retrieval specialists came together. Topics discussed at this meeting include: - The problem of data accumulation and retrieval in neuroscience research; - The Internet; - Basic principles of computer-aided information storage and retrieval; - Common ground for information retrieval and neuroscience: the problem of memory in humans and machines. In addition to these discussions, a number of information retrieval tools were demonstrated. Apart from the seminar, the action also included a questionnaire which was sent to neuroscientists across Europe, in order to gauge their use of information retrieval tools and their knowledge of these systems.