An efficient data structure for searching large almost static data sets

The proliferation of electronic record keeping and the ever-increasing ability to store vast amounts of data has encouraged research into external memory data structures and methods to efficiently store and manipulate this data. With terabytes of data routinely being gathered in many organizations there is a need to examine, and reexamine, methods to find specific data elements quickly.;Not only are dynamic records stored, but a vast quantity of data representing network access or process logs are generated. These logs can be vital sources of process validation, as in the case of the analyzing DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid) evidence for criminal prosecution. This thesis proposes a new application of an established root-finding algorithm combined with an efficient external memory data structure for storing and searching large almost-static data sets. The particular application identified as a candidate for this new structure was the process log generated during the DNA analysis carried out at the Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre at Trent University [23].