Implementation of web product search engine (part II)

• Main Author: Ong, Elis.
• Other Authors: Hoi Chu Hong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Computer applications
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/52038
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Electronic Commerce has gained popularity in the recent years. It allows consumers to directly buy goods from a seller over the Internet without an intermediary service at any time of the day. Customers are attracted to online shopping not only because of the high level of convenience, but also because of the broader selection and greater access to information. A successful web store is not just a good looking website with dynamic technical features. It is about understanding the customer’s wants and needs, and providing excellent user experience in assisting customer in quickly seeking out items they are looking for. This leads to the popularity of a search engine which aims to answer a query within the shortest possible time with the most relevant results. Besides the functionality of categorical browsing through hyperlink click access on the E- Commerce site, the capability of the search engine allows users to search for their desired products through text format query and image format query. These functions work individually and may be subjective. An additional useful option for users is the ability to have a combination of different search types to formulate as a single query. This project focuses on the addition of various functionalities in the backend Data Management Server and the Text Server for the web store known as Visual Image Search Engine (VISE). MySQL database was also modified for better retrieval of records. Techniques were used to ensure that the increase in components would not affect the performance of system in returning results in the lowest possible retrieval time. The system architecture was redesigned to build a system consisting of better role-defined components with the Data Management Server as the main central server for the front end to send requests and receives responses from the back end. JSON was used in replacement of XML to transmit data output from the Text Server as the result from JSON is smaller. The source codes in DM Server are also rewritten and reorganized to improve code efficiency, maintainability and feasibility, ensuring that new modules can be easily integrated into the future project development.