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

• US 8,108,435 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2011
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semandex Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Semandex Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Mershon, Jeffrey David, Armstrong, Jef Russell, Reininger, Daniel J., Cohen, Andrew Jacob, Kulberda, Raymond William, Makwana, Dhananjay D., Mago, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US13/090,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 707/628, 707/632, 707/769, 707/794, 707/798, 707/802, 707/803, 709/203
• 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 generating a semantic graph, the method comprising:

receiving data from distributed data sources;

generating concept instances and relations between the concept instances based on the received data;

linking the concept instances using the relations; and

storing the concept instances and relations as the semantic graph.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the semantic graph is a local semantic graph comprising a part of a network semantic graph.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network semantic graph includes access control information defining which concept instances the at least one client can access.

4. The method of claim 2, 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.

5. The method of claim 2, 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.

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

7. 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 semantic graph.

8. 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.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising modifying the schema while the plurality of semantic servers continue operation.

10. 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.

11. 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.

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

13. 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.

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

15. A semantic server storing a semantic graph, the semantic server comprising:

an input/output module to receive data from distributed sources;

a processor programmed to generate concept instances and relations between the concept instances based on the received data and to link the concept instances using the relations to form the semantic graph; and

memory for storing the semantic graph.

16. The semantic server of claim 15 wherein the concept instances represent at least one of people, organizations, places and events.

17. The semantic server of claim 15 wherein the semantic graph comprises a data structure encoding relationships as typed links between a pair of typed nodes.

18. The semantic server of claim 15 wherein the semantic graph comprises a network of heterogeneous nodes and links.

19. The semantic server of claim 18 wherein the nodes and link types are related through an ontology.

20. The semantic server of claim 15 wherein the semantic graph is a local semantic graph comprising a part of a network semantic graph.

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

22. The semantic server of claim 15, 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.

23. The semantic server of claim 15, wherein semantic applications being added to the semantic server while the semantic server operates without disrupting operation thereof.

24. The semantic server of claim 15, wherein the local semantic graph includes a schema representative of at least one of concepts, properties, attributes and relationships of data elements.

25. The semantic server of claim 24, wherein the processor is further programmed to modify the schema while the semantic server continues operation.

26. The semantic server of claim 15, 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.

27. A semantic network providing a network semantic graph, 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 from the distributed sources;

a processor programmed to generate concept instances and relations between the concept instances based on the received data and to link the concept instances using the relations and to link the data to form a local semantic graph; 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.

28. The semantic network of claim 27, 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 clients served by each respective semantic server.

29. The semantic network of claim 27, 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.

30. The semantic network of claim 27, 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.

31. The semantic network of claim 27, 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.

32. The semantic network of claim 27, 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.

33. The semantic network of claim 27, wherein semantic applications being added to the plurality of semantic servers while the semantic servers operate without disrupting operation thereof.

34. The semantic network of claim 27 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.

35. The semantic network of claim 27, wherein at least one client is represented in the semantic graph as a concept instance.

36. The semantic network of claim 27, 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.

37. The semantic network of claim 27, 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.

38. The semantic network of claim 27, wherein some of the distributed sources include attributes of at least one client.