Online data fusion

摘要

An online data fusion system receives a query, probes a first source for an answer to the query, returns the answer from the first source, refreshes the answer while probing an additional source, and applies fusion techniques on data associated with an answer that is retrieved from the additional source. For each retrieved answer, the online data fusion system computes the probability that the answer is correct and stops retrieving data for the answer after gaining enough confidence that data retrieved from the unprocessed sources are unlikely to change the answer. The online data fusion system returns correct answers and terminates probing additional sources in an expeditious manner without sacrificing the quality of the answers.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by an online data fusion system comprising a processor, answers to a query from at least two probed sources in response to probing the at least two probed sources; computing, by the processor of the online data fusion system, a probability that each answer of the answers is correct based, at least in part, upon a copying relationship between at least two of the at least two probed sources, wherein computing the probability that each answer of the answers is correct comprises
computing, by the processor, an expected probability, a maximum probability, and a minimum probability that each answer of the answers is correct, andrefreshing, by the processor, the expected probability, the maximum probability, and the minimum probability of a first answer of the answers from a first probed source of the at least two probed sources based, at least in part, on a second answer received from a second probed source of the at least two probed sources as the second answer is received from the second probed source of the at least two probed sources; when the online data fusion system gains enough confidence that, based upon the probability that each answer of the answers is correct, probing an additional source is unlikely to change the first answer, terminating, by processor, probing without probing the additional source; and providing, by the processor of the online data fusion system, the first answer of the answers in response to the query.