Spatial keyword querying of geo-tagged web content

Abstract

The web is increasingly being used by mobile users, and it is increasingly possible to accurately geo-position mobile users. In addition, increasing volumes of geo-tagged web content are becoming available. Further, indications are that a substantial fraction of web keyword queries target local content. When combined, these observations suggest that spatial keyword querying is important and indeed gaining in importance. A prototypical spatial keyword query takes a user location and user-supplied keywords as parameters and returns web content that is spatially and textually relevant to these parameters. The paper reviews key concepts related to spatial keyword querying and reviews recent proposals by the author and his colleagues for spatial keyword querying functionality that is easy to use, relevant to users, and can be supported efficiently.