BBN PLUM: MUC-4 Test Results and Analysis

Perhaps the most important facts about our participation in MUC-3 reflect our starting point and goals. In March, 1990, we initiated a pilot study on the feasibility and impact of applying statistical algorithms in natural language processing. The experiments were concluded in March, 1991 and lead us to believe that statistical approaches can effectively improve knowledge-based approaches [Weischedel, et al., 1991a, Weischedel, Meteer, and Schwartz, 1991]. Due to nature of that effort, we had focussed on many well-defined algorithm experiments. We did not have a complete message processing system; nor was the pilot study designed to create an application system.