SUSTAINABILITY RATINGS FOR LEGAL ENTITIES WITH DATA INSPECTION

• US 20080059457A1
• Filed: 10/01/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ASSET4
• Inventors: Habegger, Dominique, Ohnemus, Peter, Steffensen, Henrik
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A computer implemented rating system for rating a company using at least one non-economic factor stored in a database populated with hierarchical data and metadata. The system displays at least a portion of the hierarchical data and a formula that generates a sustainability score, the sustainability score defining a rating of the company incorporating the at least one non-economic factor. The user can input at weightings into the system which associates each weighting with a respective non-economic factor. A processor computes the sustainability score using the formula by mathematically applying each associated user-input weighting to the respective non-economic factor. The system displays the sustainability score, and, in response to a user interaction, displays at least a portion of the hierarchical data including the metadata. The hierarchical data can include a second level of data which is used to compute the first level by applying weightings in a formula.

Claims

1. A computer for implementing a rating system, the computer having access to a database populated with hierarchical data and metadata concerning at least one non-economic factor for a company, the computer comprising:

means for displaying at least a portion of the hierarchical data and a formula that generates a sustainability score;

means for enabling a user to input at least one weighting;

means for associating each user-input weighting with a respective non-economic factor; and

a processor configured to compute the sustainability score using the formula, the formula mathematically applying each associated user-input weighting to the respective non-economic factor,

wherein the displaying means outputs the sustainability score, the sustainability score defining a rating of the company incorporating the at least one non-economic factor, and, in response to a user interaction, displays at least a portion of the hierarchical data including the metadata.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical data has a first and second level of data, and wherein the associating means associates at least one weighting with the first level of data and at least one weighting associated with second level of data, the processor is further configured to compute the first level of data using the at least one weighting and the second level of hierarchical data, and the sustainability score is computed using the at least one weighting and the first level of hierarchical data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second level of hierarchical data includes data having disparate units of measurement, the system further comprising a scoring means to score at least a portion of the second level of data to produce a common scale.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the scoring means is further configured to determine a Z-score of the data to be scored and the scoring is performed using the Z-score.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises information concerning the source of the displayed hierarchical data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises information concerning the date the displayed hierarchical data was collected.

7. A computer for implementing a rating system, the computer having access to a database populated with hierarchical data and metadata concerning at least one non-economic factor for a company, the computer comprising:

an interface configured to display at least a portion of the hierarchical data, to enable input of at least one weighting, to associate each user-input weighting with a respective non-economic factor, and to provide metadata concerning the portion of the hierarchical data being displayed; and

a processor configured to compute the sustainability score using a formula in conjunction with any user-input weighting and the hierarchical data,

wherein the interface is further capable of outputting the sustainability score, the sustainability score defining a rating of the company incorporating the at least one non-economic factor.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the hierarchical data has a first and second level of data, and wherein the at least one weighting includes at least one weighting associated with the first level of data and at least one weighting associated with second level of data, and the processor is further configured to compute the first level of data using the at least one weighting and the second level of hierarchical data;

and the sustainability score is computed using the at least one weighting and the first level of hierarchical data.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second level of hierarchical data includes data having disparate units of measurement, and the processor is further configured to score at least a portion of the second level of data to produce a common scale.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a Z-score of the data to be scored, and the scoring step is performed using the Z-score.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the metadata comprises information concerning the source of the displayed hierarchical data.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the metadata comprises information concerning the date the displayed hierarchical data was collected.

13. In a computer-implemented rating system having access to a database populated with hierarchical data and metadata concerning at least one non-economic factor for a company, a method for rating the company comprising:

providing an interface capable of displaying at least a portion of the hierarchical data;

receiving from a user at least one weighting through the interface;

associating each said weighting with a respective data concerning the at least one non-economic factor;

computing a single sustainability score using a formula that applies the at least one non-zero weighting to a respective hierarchical data concerning the at least one non-economic factor;

outputting the sustainability score through the interface;

displaying in the interface at least a portion of the hierarchical data; and

providing, in response to a user interaction with the displayed hierarchical data, the metadata concerning the portion of the hierarchical data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the hierarchical data has a first and second level of data, and wherein the at least one weighting includes at least one weighting associated with the first level of data and at least one weighting associated with second level of data, the method further comprising:

computing the first level of data using the at least one weighting and the second level of hierarchical data; and

computing the sustainability score using the at least one weighting and the first level of hierarchical data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second level of hierarchical data includes data having disparate units of measurement, the method further comprising scoring at least a portion of the second level of data to produce a common scale.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, prior to scoring the data, determining a Z-score of the data to be scored, wherein the scoring step is performed using the Z-score.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the metadata comprises information concerning the source of the displayed hierarchical data.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the metadata comprises information concerning the date the displayed hierarchical data was collected.