AN INTEGRATED DATABASE MANAGEMENT AND NATURAL LANGUAGE INTERFACE SYSTEM FOR HYDROLOGICAL DATA

Abstract

The work presented in this dissertation is concerned with the development of an Integrated Database Management and Natural Language Interface System. In order to test the suitability of the system for practical applications, Hydrology data, as available from National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, has been taken as an example database. A dedicated Database Management System has been developed for the above data so as to cater to the requirements of the Hydrology data which can not be fulfilled by general purpose DBMS packages like DBASE. The key feature of the package is the English language interface which has been integrated with the database management system itself. This English language "front—end" provides better interaction for the untrained users through questions and commands posed in ordinary English language. The major tasks performed by this package are — validation of the incoming raw data resulting in creation of master data files, retrieval of data from these data files, proper maintenance and updation of the data files and the maintenance of database security. All these functions can be performed by simply typing in the requirement as a simple English language sentence that readily comes to mind. The package is written in TURBO C and tested on IBM PC/XT/AT working in the MS—DOS environment.