Visual Tools for Natural Language Processing

We describe GATE, the General Architecture for Text Engineering, an integrated visual development environment to support the visual assembly, execution and analysis of modular natural language processing systems. The visual model is an executable data flow program graph, automatically synthesised from data dependency declarations of language processing modules. The graph is then directly executable: modules are run interactively in the graph, and results are accessible via generic text visualisation tools linked to the modules. These tools lighten the `cognitive load? of viewing and comparing module results by relating data produced by modules back to the underlying text, by reducing the amount of search in examining results, and by displaying results in context. Overall, the GATE integrated visual development environment leads to rapid understanding of system behaviour and hence to rapid system refinement, therefore demonstrating the utility of visual programming and visualisation techniques for the development of natural language processing systems.