System and method for deriving a hierarchical event based database optimized for analysis of complex accidents

• US 7,805,390 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hennessy, Richard A., Kraemer, James R., Friedlander, Robert R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peach; Polina
• Application Number:
  US11/679,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/200
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2462 Approximate or statistical queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/03 Data mining

Abstract

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for inferring a probability of a first inference absent from a database at which a query regarding the inference is received. Each datum of the database is conformed to the dimensions of the database. Each datum of the plurality of data has associated metadata and an associated key. The associated metadata includes data regarding cohorts associated with the corresponding datum, data regarding hierarchies associated with the corresponding datum, data regarding a corresponding source of the datum, and data regarding probabilities associated with integrity, reliability, and importance of each associated datum. The query is used as a frame of reference for the search. The database returns a probability of the correctness of the first inference based on the query and on the data.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for inferring a probability of a first inference relating to an accident, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a query at a database, on a data processing system, regarding a fact relating to the accident, wherein the first inference is absent from the database, wherein the database comprises a plurality of divergent data, wherein the plurality of divergent data includes a plurality of cohort data, wherein each datum of the database is conformed to the dimensions of the database, wherein each datum of the plurality of data has associated metadata and an associated key, wherein the associated metadata comprises data regarding cohorts associated with the corresponding datum, data regarding hierarchies associated with the corresponding datum, data regarding a corresponding source of the datum, and data regarding probabilities associated with integrity, reliability, and importance of each associated datum;

establishing the fact as a frame of reference for the query, by a processing unit of the data processing system, wherein the frame of reference is used to determine data to be searched and rules to apply to the query, wherein the fact becomes a compound fact that includes multiple sub-facts on a subsequent iteration of the recursion process;

mathematically refocusing the database such that the fact is modeled as a first center of an inverted star schema, and modeling each datum of the plurality of data in the inverted star schema around the fact;

applying a first set of rules to the query, by the processing unit, wherein the first set of rules are determined for the query according to a second set of rules, wherein the first set of rules determine how the plurality of data are to be compared to the fact, wherein the first set of rules is prioritized, and wherein the first set of rules determine a first search space of the inverted star schema for the query including the associated metadata and associated key, wherein the second set of rules is a rule set used in a previous iteration of a recursive

executing the query, by the processing unit, to create the probability of the first inference, wherein the probability of the first inference is determined from comparing the first search space according to the first set of rules;

storing the probability of the first inference by the processing unit in a memory element of the data processing system;

establishing the first inference as a second frame of reference, using the first set of rules to determine a third set of rules, wherein the third set of rules is a rule set used in a subsequent iteration of the recursive process;

mathematically refocusing the database such that the first inference is modeled as a second center of the inverted star schema, and modeling each datum of the plurality of data in the inverted star schema around the first inference; and

applying the third set of rules to create the probability of a second inference, wherein the third set of rules determines a second search space of the inverted star schema for the query including the associated metadata and associated key, wherein the probability of the second inference is determined from comparing the second search space according to the third set of rules;

wherein the accident is selected from the group consisting of an airplane accident, a train accident, a maritime accident, a multi-vehicle accident, a single vehicle accident, a nuclear meltdown, a black-out, a building collapse, a failure of a bridge, a failure of a dam, a toxic spill, an explosion, and combinations thereof.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

using the probability of the first inference to assign administration of aid in response to the accident.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

using the probability of the first inference to identify one of a cause of the accident, a proximal cause of the accident, and a combination thereof.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the method repeats until a threshold is reached, wherein the threshold is one of a number of recursions and a probability of inference.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the second set of rules is selected from the group consisting of a heuristic set of rules, a statistical set of rules, a neural network, rules created by user input, and combinations thereof.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the database accesses a sub-system when the query is executed, and wherein the sub-system includes ontology information and taxonomy information regarding each associated meta-datum.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

entering the first inference into the database as a first additional datum;

entering the probability of the first inference into the database as a second additional datum;

entering a categorization of the first inference into the database as a third additional datum; and

entering a categorization of the probability of the first inference into the database as a fourth additional datum.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 5 further comprising:

executing a second query to create a second probability of a second inference relating to the accident, wherein the second probability of the second inference is determined from comparing the plurality of data according to the first set of rules.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to receiving an additional datum in the database, establishing a second query;

applying a third set of rules to the query, wherein the third set of rules are determined for the second query according to a fourth set of rules, and wherein the third set of rules determine how the plurality of data are to be compared to the fact; and

executing the second query to create a second probability of a second inference relating to the accident, wherein the second probability of the second inference is determined from comparing the plurality of data according to the third set of rules.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first inference comprises at least one of an event, a fact, a pattern of events, a group of events, a group of facts, a cause of the accident, a proximate cause of the accident, an affect of the accident, and a proximate affect of the accident.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising identifying an additional cohort associated with the fact.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the first set of rules includes rules for adjusting the probability of the inference based on background data.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the data regarding hierarchies further comprises how the corresponding datum is categorized with other data in the plurality of data.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

importing additional data into the plurality of data, wherein the additional data initially is not associated with metadata and the additional data does not conform to the dimensions of the database;

conforming the additional data to the dimensions of the database; and

associating metadata and a key with each datum of the additional data.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the additional data is imported according to a technique selected from a group consisting of federation and extraction, transformation, and loading.

16. A computer implemented method for building a database capable of inferring a probability of a first inference relating to an accident, the computer implemented method comprising:

establishing a database structure, in a memory element of a data processing system, wherein the database structure is adapted to receive a plurality of divergent data, wherein in the database the plurality of divergent data includes a plurality of cohort data, wherein the database is adapted such that each datum of the database is conformed to the dimensions of the database, wherein the database is further adapted such that each datum of the plurality of data has associated metadata and an associated key, wherein the associated metadata comprises data regarding cohorts associated with the corresponding datum, data regarding hierarchies associated with the corresponding datum, data regarding a corresponding source of the datum, and data regarding probabilities associated with integrity, reliability, and importance of each associated datum;

mathematically refocusing the database such that the fact is modeled as a first center of an inverted star schema, and modeling each datum of the plurality of data in the inverted star schema around the fact , wherein the fact becomes a compound fact that includes multiple sub-facts on a subsequent iteration of the recursion process;

establishing a first set of rules, in the memory element of the data processing system for the database structure, the first set of rules comprising rules for determining a second set of rules to be applied to a query submitted to the database, wherein the query is related to the clinical application, wherein the second set of rules determines that a fact submitted with the query will serve as a frame of reference when executing the query, wherein the second set of rules determines a first search space of the inverted star schema for the query, including the associated metadata and associated keys, wherein the second set of rules is a rule set used in a previous iteration of a recursive process, wherein the second set of rules is prioritized, and wherein the second set of rules are adapted to create the probability of the first inference, wherein the probability of the first inference is determined from comparing the first search space according to the second set of rules using the fact as the frame of reference by a processing unit of the data processing system, wherein the frame of reference is used to determine data to be searched and rules to apply to the query;

receiving a plurality of divergent data in the database by a processing unit on the data processing system;

conforming the plurality of divergent data to the dimensions of the database, by the processing unit, to form a plurality of conformed data;

associating the metadata and the key with each datum in the plurality of conformed data by the processing unit;

storing the database structure in the memory element of the data processing system;

establishing the first inference as a second frame of reference, using the first set of rules to determine a third set of rules, wherein the third set of rules is a rule set used in a subsequent iteration of the recursive process;

mathematically refocusing the database such that the first inference is modeled as a second center of the inverted star schema, and modeling each datum of the plurality of data in the inverted star schema around the first inference; and

applying the third set of rules to create the probability of a second inference, wherein the third set of rules are adapted to determine a second search space of the inverted star schema for the query including the associated metadata and associated key, wherein the probability of the second inference is determined from comparing the second search space according to the third set of rules;

wherein the accident is selected from the group consisting of an airplane accident, a train accident, a maritime accident, a multi-vehicle accident, a single vehicle accident, a nuclear meltdown, a black-out, a building collapse, a failure of a bridge, a failure of a dam, a toxic spill, an explosion, and combinations thereof.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16 wherein the accident is selected from the group consisting of an airplane accident, a train accident, a multi-vehicle accident, a single vehicle accident, a nuclear meltdown, a black-out, a building collapse, an explosion, and combinations thereof, and wherein the computer implemented method further comprises:

using the probability of the first inference to determine at least one of an event, a fact, a pattern of events, a group of events, a group of facts, a cause of the accident, a proximate cause of the accident, an affect of the accident, and a proximate affect of the accident.

18. A database stored in a computer readable storage medium, the database comprising:

a plurality of divergent data stored in a data structure on the computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium comprises memory elements further having computer executable program code stored thereon, wherein the plurality of divergent data includes a plurality of cohort data, wherein each datum of the database is conformed to the dimensions of the database, wherein each datum of the plurality of data has associated metadata and an associated key, wherein the associated metadata comprises data regarding cohorts associated with the corresponding datum, data regarding hierarchies associated with the corresponding datum, data regarding a corresponding source of the datum, and data regarding probabilities associated with integrity, reliability, and importance of each associated datum;

computer executable program code stored on the computer readable storage medium for establishing a fact relating to an accident, received in a query relating to the accident, as a frame of reference for the query;

computer usable program code stored in the computer-usable medium for mathematically refocusing the database such that the fact is modeled as a first center of an inverted star schema, and modeling each datum of the plurality of data in the inverted star schema around the fact , wherein the fact becomes a compound fact that includes multiple sub-facts on a subsequent iteration of the recursion process;

computer usable program code stored in the computer-readable storage medium for applying a first set of rules to the query, wherein the first set of rules are determined for the query according to a second set of rules, wherein the first set of rules determine how the plurality of data are to be compared to the fact, and wherein the first set of rules determine a first search space of the inverted star schema for the query, wherein the second set of rules is a rule set used in a previous iteration of a recursive process;

computer usable program code stored in the computer-readable storage medium for executing the query to create a probability of a first inference, wherein the probability of the first inference is determined from comparing the first search space according to the first set of rules;

computer usable program code stored in the computer-readable storage medium for storing the probability of the first inference in the database;

computer usable program code stored in the computer-readable storage medium for establishing the first inference as a second frame of reference, using the first set of rules to determine a third set of rules, wherein the third set of rules is a rule set used in a subsequent iteration of the recursive process;

computer usable program code stored in the computer-usable medium for mathematically refocusing the database such that the first inference is modeled as a second center of the inverted star schema, and modeling each datum of the plurality of data in the inverted star schema around the first inference; and

computer usable program code stored in the computer-readable storage medium for applying the third set of rules to create the probability of a second inference, wherein the third set of rules determines a second search space of the inverted star schema for the query including the associated metadata and associated key, wherein the probability of the second inference is determined from comparing the second search space according to the third set of rules;

wherein the accident is selected from the group consisting of an airplane accident, a train accident, a maritime accident, a multi-vehicle accident, a single vehicle accident, a nuclear meltdown, a black-out, a building collapse, a failure of a bridge, a failure of a dam, a toxic spill, an explosion, and combinations thereof.

19. The database of claim 18 wherein the database further comprises:

computer executable program code stored on the computer readable storage medium for using the probability of the first inference to determine at least one of an event, a fact, a pattern of events, a group of events, a group of facts, a cause of the accident, a proximate cause of the accident, an affect of the accident, and a proximate affect of the accident.