System and method for examining, calculating the age of an document collection as a measure of time since creation, visualizing, identifying selectively reference those document collections representing current activity

• US 7,130,844 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Elder, Michael D., Rokosz, Vaughn T., Schultz, Matthew, Jho, Jason Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US10/286,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 7, 707/10, 707100-102, 707/104.1, 707200-203, 707/205, 706 45- 50, 706/61, 709220-225, 345440-441, 345/744, 715/501.1, 715512-513, 715/500, 702/187, 725/9, 705 1- 2, 705 26- 27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3328 using graphical result space presentation or visualisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

System and method for evaluating an information aggregate. A metrics database stores document indicia including document attributes, associated persons and age of creation. A query engine responsive to a user request and the metrics database aggregates documents having same, unique attributes and calculates therefrom, or from meta data defining the aggregate, an age value of the aggregate. A visualization engine visualizes age values for a plurality of aggregates at a client display.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for evaluating a plurality of document collections to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant thus identifying trends in knowledge over time, identifying the social networks that form from users'"'"' interaction around a shared document collection, identifying those visualizations that allow inferences about how successfully an information resource system is adopted and utilized by users, and identifying those visualizations which could help or encourage a higher level of adoption of information resources, comprising:

collecting into computer storage a plurality of document collections, each document collection comprising a sub-grouping of documents in a document database having non-unique values on a shared textual attribute;

time stamping date of creation on said documents;

calculating, and at least temporarily fixing in said computer storage, age of each said document collection as a measure of time since creation of said documents comprising said sub-grouping, said age being determined for a given document collection from meta-data stored in a record that defines the document collection, said calculating comprising evaluation of the relationship Aa=Dnow−

Ca, where Aa is said age of said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Ca is the date of creation of said document collection from said meta-data;

visualizing said age for a plurality of said document collections; and

responsive to said visualizing, identifying and examining selected document collections to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant, thus to reveal and magnify hidden knowledge dynamics within an organization and encourage said higher level of adoption of said information resources.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, said age for a given document collection being calculated from ages of documents in said given document collection.

3. A computer implemented method for evaluating a plurality of document collections to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant thus identifying trends in knowledge over time, identifying the social networks that form from users'"'"' interaction around a shared document collection, identifying those visualizations that allow inferences about how successfully the system is adopted and utilized by users, and identifying those visualizations which could help or encourage a higher level of adoption of information resources, comprising:

collecting into computer storage a plurality of document collections, each document collection comprising a sub-grouping of documents in a document database having non-unique values on a shared textual attribute;

time stamping date of creation on said documents;

calculating, and at least temporarily fixing in said computer storage, age of each said document collection as a measure of time since creation of said documents comprising said sub-grouping said age for a given document collection being determined as the age of the oldest of any said document in said given document collection, said calculating comprising evaluation of the relationship Ad=Dnow−

Cd, where Ad is age of the oldest document in said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Cd is the date of creation of said oldest document;

visualizing said age Ad for a plurality of said document collections; and

responsive to said visualizing, identifying and examining selected document collections to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant, thus to reveal and magnify hidden knowledge dynamics within an organization and encourage said higher level of adoption of said information resources.

4. A computer system for evaluating a plurality of document collections to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant thus identifying trends in knowledge over time, identifying the social networks that form from users'"'"' interaction around a shared document collection, identifying those visualizations that allow inferences about how successfully the system is adopted and utilized by users, and identifying those visualizations which could help or encourage a higher level of adoption of information resources, comprising:

a computer storage for storing documents in a documents database of a document management system;

a metrics database for storing in said computer storage, for each of a plurality of documents, document indicia including document attributes, associated persons and time of creation;

a computer implemented query engine responsive to a user request and said metrics database for forming and storinq in said computer storage a plurality of document collections, each document collection formed by selecting from said documents in said documents database a subset of documents having same, unique attributes;

said query engine further for calculating, and at least temporarily fixing in said computer storage, an age value of each said document collection as a measure of time from creation of documents in said document collection, said age being determined for a given document collection from meta-data stored in a record that defines said given document collection, with Aa=Dnow−

Ca, where Aa is said age of said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Ca is the date of creation of said document collection from said meta-data; and

a computer implemented visualization engine for visualizing said age values for said plurality of document collections at a client display;

said visualization engine further for identifying and examining document collections selected based on visualization of said age value to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant, thus to reveal and magnify hidden knowledge dynamics within an organization and encourage said higher level of adoption of said information resources.

5. The system of claim 4, said age for a given document collection being calculated from ages of documents in said given document collection.

6. A computer system for evaluating a plurality of document collections to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant thus identifying trends in knowledge over time, identifying the social networks that form from users'"'"' interaction around a shared document collection, identifying those visualizations that allow inferences about how successfully the system is adopted and utilized by users, and identifying those visualizations which could help or encourage a higher level of adoption of information resources, comprising:

a computer storage for storing documents in a documents database of a document management system;

a metrics database for storing in said computer storage, for each of a plurality of documents, document indicia including document attributes, associated persons and time of creation;

a computer implemented query engine responsive to a user reguest and said metrics database for forming and storing in said computer storage a plurality of document collections, each document collection formed by selecting from said documents in said documents database a subset of documents having same, unique attributes;

said query engine further for calculating, and at least temporarily fixing in said computer storage, an age value of each said document collection as a measure of time from creation of documents in said document collection said age for a given document collection being determined as the age of the oldest of any said document in said given document collection, where Ad=Dnow−

Cd, where Ad is age of the oldest document in said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Cd is the date of creation of said oldest document; and

a computer implemented visualization engine for visualizing said age values for said plurality of document collections at a client display;

said visualization engine further for identifying and examining document collections selected based on visualization of said age value to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant, thus to reveal and magnify hidden knowledge dynamics within an organization and encourage said higher level of adoption of said information resources.

7. A program storage device readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer for evaluating document collections to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant thus identifying trends in knowledge over time, identifying the social networks that form from users'"'"' interaction around a shared document collection, identifying those visualizations that allow inferences about how successfully the system is adopted and utilized by users, and identifying those visualizations which could help or encourage a higher level of adoption of information resources, said program of instructions comprising:

instructions for collecting into a document collection, from a documents database including a plurality of documents, a subset of documents having non-unique values on a shared textual attribute;

instructions for time stamping date of creation on said documents;

instructions for calculating, and at least temporarily fixing in computer storage, age of said document collection, said age for said document collection being selectively calculated as the age of the oldest of any said document in said given document collection such that Ad=Dnow−

Cd, where Ad is age of the oldest document in said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Cd is the date of creation of said oldest document, and from meta data defining the date of creation of said given document collection such that Aa=Dnow−

Ca, where Aa is said age of said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Ca is the date of creation of said document collection as obtained from said meta-data;

instructions for visualizing said age for a plurality of said document collections to identify those documents collections of current and growing interest; and

instructions for identifying and examining a document collection selected based on visualization of said age as a document collection of current and growing interest to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant, thus to reveal and magnify hidden knowledge dynamics within an organization and encourage said higher level of adoption of said information resources.

8. A computer program product stored on a tangible computer storage device for evaluating document collections to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant thus identifying trends in knowledge over time, identifying the social networks that form from users'"'"' interaction around a shared document collection, identifying those visualizations that allow inferences about how successfully the system is adopted and utilized by users, and identifying those visualizations which could help or encourage a higher level of adoption of information resources, according to the method comprising

collecting from a document database a plurality of documents having non-unique values on a shared textual attribute into a document collection including a subset of said plurality of documents;

time stamping date of creation on said documents;

calculating, and at least temporarily fixing in computer storage, age of said document collection, said age for said document collection being selectively calculated as the age of the oldest of any said document in said given document collection such that Ad=Dnow−

Cd, where Ad is age of the oldest document in said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Cd is the date of creation of said oldest document, and from meta data defining the date of creation of said given document collection such that Aa=Dnow−

Ca, where Aa is said age of said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Ca is the date of creation of said document collection as obtained from said meta-data;

visualizing said age for a plurality of said information document collection to identify whether said document collection is one of current and growing interest; and

examining specific document collections selected based on said age for current information to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant, thus to reveal and magnify hidden knowledge dynamics within an organization and encourage said higher level of adoption of said information resources.

9. A computer implemented method for evaluating document collections to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant thus identifying trends in knowledge over time, identifying the social networks that form from users'"'"' interaction around a shared document collection, identifying those visualizations that allow inferences about how successfully the system is adopted and utilized by users, and identifying those visualizations which could help or encourage a higher level of adoption of information resources, comprising:

collecting a plurality of documents having non-unique values on a shared textual attribute into a document collection formed as a subset of a document database;

time stamping date of creation on said documents;

calculating, and at least temporarily fixing in computer storage, age of said document collection, said age for said document collection being selectively calculated as the age of the oldest of any said document in said given document collection such that Ad=Dnow−

Cd, where Ad is age of the oldest document in said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Cd is the date of creation of said oldest document, and from meta data defining the date of creation of said given document collection such that Aa=Dnow−

Ca, where Aa is said age of said document collection, Dnow is the current date, and Ca is the date of creation of said document collection as obtained from said meta-data;

visualizing said ages of said documents for said plurality of said document collections; and

identifying and examining those document collections determined based on said ages for information of current and growing interest to identify and selectively reference those document collections representing current activity, those having lasting value, and those no longer relevant, thus to reveal and magnify hidden knowledge dynamics within an organization and encourage said higher level of adoption of said information resources.