Systems and methods for the management of information to enable the rapid dissemination of actionable information

• US 7,958,155 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semandex Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Semandex Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Kulberda, Raymond William, Cohen, Andrew Jacob, Makwana, Dhananjay D., Armstrong, Jef Russell, Reininger, Daniel, Mago, Rajeev, Mershon, Jeffrey David
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US12/148,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 707/802, 707/628, 707/632, 707/794, 707/798, 707/803
• US Class Current: 707/794
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations

Abstract

Methods, systems and media are provided for turning large volumes of globally distributed data into actionable information by building a distributed semantic graph and maintaining such graph with up to date changes in data and client needs are provided. The semantic graph can be used to run subscriptions over interconnected semantic servers where each server can be capable of coupling to data sources, client applications and other semantic servers.

Claims

1. A method for providing at least one client access to a network semantic graph distributed among a plurality of semantic servers wherein the network semantic graph comprises concept instances and relations between the concept instances, the method comprising:

receiving first data including semantically distributed annotations from distributed data sources in communication with the plurality of semantic servers;

based on the first data including the annotations, linking the concept instances using the relations;

storing the concept instances and relations as a local semantic graph comprising a part of the network semantic graph;

creating at least one subscription of interest over the network semantic graph in response to a request from the at least one client;

collecting second data from the distributed data sources based on the at least one subscription;

semantically annotating the second data;

updating the local semantic graph based on the semantic annotation;

sending alerts to the at least one client based on updates to the local semantic graph matching the at least one subscription of the at least one client.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network semantic graph represents at least one of individuals, organizations, places or events.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein storing the concept instances and relations comprises storing the concept instances and relations as nodes and edges in the local semantic graph.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein semantically annotating the second data comprises organizing and correlating the second data with the first data stored in the network semantic graph.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the semantic graph includes a schema representative of at least one of concepts, properties, attributes and relationships of data elements.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising modifying the schema while the plurality of semantic servers continue operation.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising using portions of the semantic graph as evidence for assertions involving concept, property and relation instances for other portions of the semantic graph.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a data source is represented in the semantic graph as a concept instance with at least one source identifier associated therewith that is available when accessing the concept instance in the semantic graph.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one client is represented in the semantic graph as a concept instance.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one subscription represents client-specified criteria.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the network semantic graph includes access control information defining which concept instances the at least one client can access.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one subscription identifies a point location defined by at least one of coordinates or area location defined by the boundaries of a polygon and wherein the at least one subscription matches with an update to the network semantic graph if the update includes a location property matching at least one of a point location or a location within the boundaries of a polygon.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein results of at least one subscription change as a result of at least one of time and location.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing behavior of at least one concept instance over time and using the established behavior to detect at least one anomaly in the behavior of the at least one concept instance.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one subscription comprises a plurality of temporal events, further comprising sending alerts to the at least one client when at least one of the plurality of temporal events occur.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one subscription comprises a moving window of time.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the network semantic graph being representative of at least one of military tactical information, maritime domain information, emergency management information and corporate security information.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a query from the at least one client;

searching the network semantic graph based on the query; and

sending the at least one client a response based on a result of the searching.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein some of the distributed data sources include attributes of the at least one client.

20. A semantic server storing a local semantic graph comprising concept instances and relations between the concept instances, the semantic server comprising:

an input/output module to receive data including semantically descriptive annotations from distributed sources;

a processor programmed to process data based on the semantically descriptive annotations of the data to form the local semantic graph that associates the concept instances with each other using the relations, to create at least one subscription of interest in response to a request from at least one client and to send at least one alert to the at least one client based on updates to the local semantic graph matching the at least one subscription of the at least one client; and

memory for storing the local semantic graph, the local semantic graph comprising part of a network semantic graph distributed among a plurality of semantic servers.

21. The semantic server of claim 20 wherein the concept instances represent at least one of people, organizations, places and events.

22. The semantic server of claim 20 wherein the local semantic graph comprises a data structure encoding relationships as typed links between a pair of typed nodes.

23. The semantic server of claim 20 wherein the local semantic graph comprises a network of heterogeneous nodes and links.

24. The semantic server of claim 23 wherein the nodes and link types are related through an ontology.

25. The semantic server of claim 20 wherein the local semantic graph is stored in a database.

26. The semantic server of claim 20, wherein the semantic server further includes at least one semantic application for processing data represented by the semantic graph, the at least one semantic applications being represented as a concept instance on the semantic graph.

27. The semantic server of claim 20, wherein semantic applications being added to the semantic server while the semantic server operates without disrupting operation thereof

28. The semantic server of claim 20, wherein the local semantic graph includes a schema representative of at least one of concepts, properties, attributes and relationships of data elements.

29. The semantic server of claim 28, wherein the processor is further programmed to modify the schema while the semantic server continues operation.

30. The semantic server of claim 20, wherein the at least one subscription includes a plurality of temporal events for the at least one client and wherein the processor is further programmed to track results of at least one subscription change as a result of at least one of time and location.

31. The semantic server of claim 20, wherein the processor is further programmed to establish behavior of at least one concept instance over time and to use the established behavior to detect at least one anomaly in the behavior of the at least one concept instance.

32. The semantic server of claim 20, wherein the at least one subscription includes a plurality of temporal events for the at least one client and wherein the processor is further programmed to send alerts to the at least one client when at least one of the plurality of temporal events occur.

33. A semantic network providing a network semantic graph comprising concept instances and relations between the concept instances, the semantic network comprising:

a plurality of semantic servers in communication with each other and with distributed sources, wherein each of the plurality of semantic servers comprises;

an input/output module to receive data including semantically descriptive annotations from the distributed sources;

a processor programmed to process the data based on the semantically descriptive annotations of the data to form a local semantic graph that associates the concept instances with each other using the relations, to create at least one subscription of interest in response to a request from at least one client and to send at least one alert to the at least one client based on updates to the local semantic graph matching the at least one subscription of the at least one client; and

memory for storing the local semantic graph;

wherein each local semantic graph of each of the plurality of semantic servers comprises a portion of the network semantic graph distributed across the plurality of semantic servers.

34. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein each semantic server includes a server link interface to automatically replicate portions of a semantic graph of a remote server based on each semantic server'"'"'s client subscriptions.

35. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein each semantic server locally caches portions of the semantic graph for other remote semantic servers and deletes at least one portion of a semantic graph learned from other semantic servers once the at least one portion is not used for a period of time by the clients served by each respective semantic server.

36. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein each concept instance includes a field identifying a local semantic server as its originating source;

wherein the processor of one of the plurality of semantic servers is identified by a concept instance as an originating one of the plurality of semantic servers, and wherein the originating one of the plurality of semantic servers is further programmed to update that concept instance; and

wherein each processor of each of the plurality of semantic servers is further programmed to store copies of concept instances identifying other ones of the plurality of semantic servers as an originating semantic server depending on a level of use of those concept instances by that one of the plurality of semantic servers.

37. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein processors of some of the plurality of semantic servers are programmed to update the network semantic graph while processors of others of the plurality of semantic servers are programmed to operate on the network semantic graph.

38. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein each processor of the plurality of semantic servers is further programmed to monitor the semantic graph and to process the semantic graph in response to changes in at least one of the concept instances, properties and relations represented by the semantic graph.

39. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein each of the plurality of semantic servers includes at least one semantic application for processing data represented by the semantic graph, the at least one semantic applications being represented as a concept instance on the semantic graph.

40. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein semantic applications being added to the plurality of semantic servers while the semantic servers operate without disrupting operation thereof.

41. The semantic network of claim 33 wherein a data source is represented in the semantic graph as a concept instance with at least one source identifier associated therewith that is available when accessing the concept instance in the semantic graph.

42. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein at least one client is represented in the semantic graph as a concept instance.

43. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein the network semantic graph being representative of at least one of military tactical information, maritime domain information, emergency management information and corporate security information.

44. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein the processor is further programmed to receive a query from at least one client;

to search the network semantic graph based on the query; and

to send the at least one client a response based on a result of the searching.

45. The semantic network of claim 33, wherein some of the distributed sources include attributes of the at least one client.