From Keywords to Keyqueries: Content Descriptors for the Web

We introduce the concept of keyqueries as dynamic content descriptors for documents. Keyqueries are defined implicitly by the index and the retrieval model of a reference search engine: keyqueries for a document are the minimal queries that return the document in the top result ranks. Besides applications in the fields of information retrieval and data mining, keyqueries have the potential to form the basis of a dynamic classification system for future digital libraries-the modern version of keywords for content description. To determine the keyqueries for a document, we present an exhaustive search algorithm along with effective pruning strategies. For applications where a small number of diverse keyqueries is sufficient, two tailored search strategies are proposed. Our experiments emphasize the role of the reference search engine and show the potential of keyqueries as innovative document descriptors for large, fast evolving bodies of digital content such as the web.