An evaluation of standard retrieval algorithms and a binary neural approach

In this paper we evaluate a selection of data retrieval algorithms for storage efficiency, retrieval speed and partial matching capabilities using a large Information Retrieval dataset. We evaluate standard data structures, for example inverted file lists and hash tables, but also a novel binary neural network that incorporates: single-epoch training, superimposed coding and associative matching in a binary matrix data structure. We identify the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches. From our evaluation, the novel neural network approach is superior with respect to training speed and partial match retrieval time. From the results, we make recommendations for the appropriate usage of the novel neural approach. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.