A prompt information retrieval system on handheld devices

In this paper, we propose an intelligent bird information retrieval system which aims to construct a mobility-learning activity under the up-to-date wireless technology. The system consists of a Tablet PC and PDAs with wireless networking capabilities. The PDA is equipped with a friendly retrieval interface and a good learning environment. In our system, users only need to click the buttons or input the keywords to retrieve bird information. Besides, users can discuss or share their information and knowledge via the wireless network. Our system saves bird information in four categories including "Introduction, " "Images," "Sound," "Streaming Media," and "Ecological Memo". The integral knowledge helps users understand more about birds. Data mining and fuzzy association rules are applied to recommend users those birds they may be interested in. A streaming server on the Tablet PC is built to provide the streaming media for PDA users. By this way, PDA users can enjoy the multimedia from Tablet PC in real time without downloading completely. Finally, the system is a perfect tool for outdoor teaching and can be easily extended to provide navigation and touring services for national parks or museums.