Auto industry expert drills for data

Extracting information from online discussion forums to convert it into useful information for automotive manufacturers was Edmunds.com goal in implementing Attensity PowerDrill.

The solution will enable Edmunds.com, an online resource for automotive information, to analyze large amounts of text-based data more quickly and discover linkages that could form important, previously undetected patterns, according to a recent press release.

Because Edmunds.com has a large online community of automotive buyers and professional moderators directing online discussions, as well as a sizable editorial staff, it acquires an abundance of information that can be valuable to consumers and to automotive manufacturers alike. Analysis of the text-based information used to require significant human intervention, and because of the sheer volume of unstructured data, it was labor-intensive to spot common trends and issues.

Kerry Kim, director of syndication applications at Edmunds.com, explains, "Our online forums are an especially timely, comprehensive way to capture information about particular vehicles and related topics directly from consumers. We have always appreciated their potential and anticipate that the new system will allow us to more efficiently extract value from these massive quantities of content—both structured and unstructured—and turn it into information that our customers can use. Our ability to explore and mine data based on the relationships contained will enhance our ability to market both early warning systems and consumer product intelligence back to automotive manufacturers."

PowerDrill uses linguistic technologies to extract the individuals, actions and objects described in free-form text. It organizes information into a relational database that can be combined with other structured content and easily explored, the press release says.