Google revamps search tool with Knowledge Graph

GlobalPost

Google introduced a revamped search engine on Wednesday, augmented by Knowledge Graph, which will make Google search faster and more concise, according to the Associated Press.

Knowledge Graph is an information database created by Google, which includes more than 500 million people, places and commonly searched terms, providing vital information along with the search results, according to the AP.

The information provided by Knowledge Graph will appear in boxes to the right of the search results, providing faster and more concise answers to users.

According to CNN, the search results in the improved search engine will "think more like a human."

Speaking of search terms, Jack Menzel, director of product management at Google, told CNN, "You, as a human, associate those words with their real-world meaning but, for a computer, they're just a random string of characters."

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Knowledge Graph will arrange search results according to categories with with the term has been associated. Users can then click on one of the boxes to get only results associated to the specific meaning they want. Menzel said, "It hones your search results right in on the task that you're after."

Google's Tech Lead in Search, Shashidhar Thakur, told ABC News, "The Knowledge Graph has been constructed using a lot of reliable sources of information, including the World CIA Fact Book, Wikipedia, etc. We also collect content of our own, like Google Books."

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Google fellow Ben Gomes said the project had been in the works for two years and focused on making a map of real world objects, according to Wired. Gomes suggested that eventually Google will be able to answer complex questions such as: "Which governors of Western states have become president in the last 50 years?"

While Knowledge Graph focuses on more reliable sources of information, Google also wants to make search more social, with Google+ results appearing in search results, according to ABC News.

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