Enhancing medical research efficiency by using concept maps

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2011:696:581-8. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7046-6_59.

Abstract

Even with today's advances in technology, the processes involved in medical research continue to be both time consuming and labor intensive. We have built an experimental integrated tool to convert the textual information available to the researchers into a concept map using the Web Ontology Language as an intermediate source of information. This tool is based on building semantic models using concept maps. The labor-intensive sequence of processes involved in medical research is suitably replaced by using this tool built by a suitable integration of concept maps and Web Ontology Language. We analyzed this tool by considering the example of linking vitamin D deficiency with prostate cancer. This tool is intended to provide a faster solution in building relations and concepts based on the existing facts.

MeSH terms

  • Biomedical Research / statistics & numerical data*
  • Efficiency
  • Humans
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Internet
  • Male
  • Medical Informatics
  • Natural Language Processing
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / etiology
  • Vitamin D Deficiency / complications