Gateway to 21st Century Skills

GEM's Siderean^TM Search Engine from Seamark^TM

GEM uses a new, advanced retrieval engine named Seamark from Siderean Software to help you find resources that meet your needs. The engine is built around a search technique called "faceted searching". Faceted searching combines the processes of searching for specific words and phrases somewhat as one does in Yahoo!^® and Google^TM with browsing descriptions of resources based on what are called facets. The result is a powerful new interface that supports exploration as well as discovery of resources.

About Sidereal Navigation

"Ancient mariners in the central Pacific Ocean developed advanced sidereal navigation, an instrument-free mental system for orienting sailors traveling the vast, seemingly featureless Pacific. Sidereal navigators used 32 star-rise and set points on the horizon as a 'star compass,' and catalogued in memory the physical features they observed in their surroundings within the frame of reference provided by the star compass. Islands, 'Seamarks' (currents, fish schools, kelp beds, etc.), prevailing winds, and bird & marine migrations complemented these sidereal sky references to enable pinpoint navigation within a progressively larger realm of vast dimensions. Evidence suggests these legendary navigators sailed across thousands of miles of open ocean to North America over 1000 years before the Bering land bridge was traversed. Siderean Software similarly gives computing users a precise means of navigating the digital realm without having to know exactly what they are looking for before undertaking a search." –Seamark