PalimPost: information convergence using sticky notes

Abstract

In today's world, the digital information retrieval experience is inherently a sparse device-centric activity. Users rely on the ability of the currently used device to supply the requested information, in some disconnection from past activities on other devices. There is a growing need to develop new methods of connecting cross-context information retrieval sessions. We present PalimPost, a converged system for storing, searching, and sharing digital and physical world information using sticky notes and mobile devices. PalimPost extracts contextual cues from a user's physical environment and activities, and connects them to the user's digital world research. Subsequently, the system presents systematically categorized information that is relevant to the moment of interaction in a just-in-time manner. PalimPost uses physical sticky notes with embedded QR codes, as well as virtual sticky notes on mobile devices. The system incorporates Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques for understanding and categorizing the content.