Patent Publication Number: US-2020278992-A1

Title: Systems and methods for organizing and identifying documents via hierarchies and dimensions of tags

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/205,942, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ORGANIZING AND IDENTIFYING DOCUMENTS VIA HIERARCHIES AND DIMENSIONS OF TAGS” and filed on Jul. 8, 2016, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/310,220, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ORGANIZING AND IDENTIFYING DOCUMENTS VIA HIERARCHIES AND DIMENSIONS OF TAGS” and filed on Mar. 18, 2016, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Data is commonly stored in computer-based systems in fixed, rigidly structured data stores. For example, one common type of data store is a “flat” file such as a spreadsheet, plain-text document, or XML document. Another common type of data store is a relational database comprising one or more tables. Other examples of data stores that comprise structured data include, without limitation, files systems, object collections, record collections, arrays, hierarchical trees, linked lists, stacks, and combinations thereof. 
     Often, the underlying structure of these types of data stores is poorly suited for data analysis. One approach for facilitating a more efficient analysis of data in such data stores is to reorganize that data according to an object model that defines object structures and relationships between the object structures. Tagging is a method used to create objects, properties, or links between objects and/or properties in structured or unstructured data. It can add structure to unstructured data or add further structure to structured data. An exemplary system and method for tagging is described in detail in U.S. application Ser. No. 14/025,653, filed on Sep. 12, 2013, and titled “Systems and Methods for Providing a Tagging Interface for External Content,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     As a result of being poorly structured it can be difficult for a user to change a single entry in a data structure, especially if many users access the data structure and many entries within the data structure are affected by the change. Even with current graphical user interfaces, creating trees and tags can be difficult to accomplish easily, and often inadvertently changes the properties associated with many entities at once. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings showing example embodiments of the present application, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system with which embodiments described herein can be implemented, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram depicting an exemplary internal database system, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a chart illustrating an exemplary hierarchical structure of tags, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 4A-4B  are charts illustrating an exemplary object model reflecting relationships between tags, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a chart illustrating an exemplary object model reflecting relationships between combinations of tags of the exemplary hierarchical structure of tags depicted in  FIG. 3 , consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 6A-6B  are screenshots depicting an exemplary interface for selecting one or more tags to identify a document, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 7A-7E  are screenshots depicting exemplary interfaces for identifying and displaying documents based on tags, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 8A-8B  are screenshots depicting an exemplary interface for identifying and displaying documents based on tags from previously identified documents, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart representing an exemplary method performed by an electronic device for identifying documents based on tags, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a screenshot depicting a user interface that contains categories and sub-categories of information, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 11  is a screenshot depicting a user interface that contains categories and sub-categories of information, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 12  is a screenshot depicting a user interface including an ontology, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 13  is a screenshot depicting tags included in an ontology, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 14  is a screenshot depicting a user interface  1400  for selecting one or more tags to identify an artifact, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 15  is a screenshot depicting a user interface that includes information associated with a particular tag, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 16  is a flowchart representing an exemplary method  1600  performed by an electronic device for modifying an ontology, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, the examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a means to organize and access data structured with tag objects (e.g. by associating a portion or part or entirety of the data with tags) by providing a pre-defined hierarchy of tags. As an exemplary illustration, the hierarchy can include one or more dimensions, each dimension comprising a set of tags corresponding to that dimension. The pre-defined hierarchy of tags facilitates tag-based identification and retrieval of the data associated with one or more selected tags that are part of the hierarchy, which can allow a user of the system to navigate through a very large data sets to identify appropriate data or documents associated with or related to the one or more selected tags. In various embodiments described herein, a tag is a keyword, term, or phrase assigned to a piece of information (such as an object, text, file, image, etc.), that can help describe the piece of information. Tags can allow users to find information by searching browsing or searching. In some embodiments, users associate tags with information such that others can easily find the information. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an interface allowing the user to navigate through very large data sets to identify and display appropriate data or documents associated with or related to the one or more selected tags. Via the interface, a user can input a selection of tags and retrieve a document associated with the tags selection, as well as other documents that are related to the tags selection. The interface also updates the tags selection based on a document retrieved by the user, allowing the user to identify other related documents. The interface further facilitates a user&#39;s navigation through a very large data sets to identify appropriate data or documents associated with or related to the one or more selected tags. 
     The tag objects can include one or more attributes, and a relationship can be defined between the attributes of each tag object (or combinations thereof). As an exemplary illustration, the tag object can include attributes including a tag label, a tag type, and one or more properties. Moreover, based on these attributes, one or more relationships between tags can be defined. 
     After the one or more tags are selected in the interface, data associated with those tags can be acquired. Moreover, one or more other tags related to the selected tags can be identified, which can allow data associated with the one or more other tags to also be acquired. This further facilitates tag-based identification and retrieval of the data associated with tags that are part of the hierarchy by, for example, allowing the user to navigate within a huge universe of data structured with tags, guided by the pre-defined hierarchy of tags, as well as the pre-defined relationship between the tags in the hierarchy. 
     Example solutions herein describe a GUI that allows a user to view and edit a master ontology. In various embodiments, an ontology can define the semantics of an object model. For example, an ontology can include the names and definitions of types, properties, and relationships between objects (e.g., entities). An ontology can include multiple taxonomies, and various taxonomies within ontologies may organize objects in unique ways. For example, an ontology may include multiple taxonomies of descriptive tags wherein one taxonomy may be organized based on geographic locations, another taxonomy may be organized based on economic attributes, and another taxonomy may be organized based on types of companies. Each of these taxonomies may contain a node represented by the same tag. In some embodiments, selecting a node represented by that tag included in each taxonomy of an ontology may cause a system to perform the same function, regardless of which taxonomy in an ontology a user selected the node from. 
     Embodiments herein provide for iterative updates of a master ontology using the Git version control system, providing speed, data integrity, and support for distributed workflows. For example, a user may modify an ontology in their personal sandbox, and send their changes to a governing user that accepts or rejects the changes to the ontology. When the governing user accepts the changes to the ontology, in various embodiments, every user with access to the master ontology can view updates. In some embodiments, systems described herein employ a conflict resolution module that alerts a user when an ontology has been changed by another user (e.g., the conflict resolution module may alert a user that the master ontology has been changed when the user is in the middle of modifying the master ontology in their own sandbox). In addition, a tagging system can work in concert with the ontology editor and allows users to tag content using tags that describe attributes of an entity such as a type (e.g., location, type, users) or a method of visualizing the entity (e.g., a graph or a dashboard). When an ontology changes, tags associated with various entries may also change. 
     According to some embodiments, the operations, techniques, and/or components described herein can be implemented by an electronic device, which can include one or more special-purpose computing devices. The special-purpose computing devices can be hard-wired to perform the operations, techniques, and/or components described herein, or can include digital electronic devices such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are persistently programmed to perform the operations, techniques and/or components described herein, or can include one or more hardware processors programmed to perform such features of the present disclosure pursuant to program instructions in firmware, memory, other storage, or a combination. Such special-purpose computing devices can also combine custom hard-wired logic, ASICs, or FPGAs with custom programming to accomplish the technique and other features of the present disclosure. The special-purpose computing devices can be desktop computer systems, portable computer systems, handheld devices, networking devices, or any other device that incorporates hard-wired and/or program logic to implement the techniques and other features of the present disclosure. 
     The one or more special-purpose computing devices can be generally controlled and coordinated by operating system software, such as iOS, Android, Blackberry, Chrome OS, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, Windows CE, Unix, Linux, SunOS, Solaris, VxWorks, or other compatible operating systems. In other embodiments, the computing device can be controlled by a proprietary operating system. Operating systems control and schedule computer processes for execution, perform memory management, provide file system, networking, I/O services, and provide a user interface functionality, such as a graphical user interface (“GUI”), among other things. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system  100  with which embodiments described herein can be implemented, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. Computer system  100  includes a bus  102  or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and one or more hardware processors  104  (denoted as processor  104  for purposes of simplicity) coupled with bus  102  for processing information. Hardware processor  104  can be, for example, one or microprocessors. 
     Computer system  100  also includes a main memory  106 , such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus  102  for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor  104 . Main memory  106  also can be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor  104 . Such instructions, after being stored in non-transitory storage media accessible to processor  104 , render computer system  100  into a special-purpose machine that is customized to perform the operations specified in the instructions. 
     Computer system  100  further includes a read only memory (ROM)  108  or other static storage device coupled to bus  102  for storing static information and instructions for processor  104 . A storage device  110 , such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or USB thumb drive (Flash drive), etc., is provided and coupled to bus  102  for storing information and instructions. 
     Computer system  100  can be coupled via bus  102  to a display  112 , such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), an liquid crystal display (LCD), or a touch screen, for displaying information to a computer user. An input device  114 , including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to bus  102  for communicating information and command selections to processor  104 . Another type of user input device is cursor control  116 , such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor  104  and for controlling cursor movement on display  112 . The input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (for example, x) and a second axis (for example, y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane. In some embodiments, the same direction information and command selections as cursor control may be implemented via receiving touches on a touch screen without a cursor. 
     Computing system  100  can include a user interface module to implement a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be stored in a mass storage device as executable software codes that are executed by the one or more computing devices. This and other modules can include, by way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, fields, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. 
     In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, possibly having entry and exit points, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, Lua, C or C++. A software module can be compiled and linked into an executable program, installed in a dynamic link library, or written in an interpreted programming language such as, for example, BASIC, Perl, or Python. It will be appreciated that software modules can be callable from other modules or from themselves, and/or can be invoked in response to detected events or interrupts. Software modules configured for execution on computing devices can be provided on a computer readable medium, such as a compact disc, digital video disc, flash drive, magnetic disc, or any other tangible medium, or as a digital download (and can be originally stored in a compressed or installable format that requires installation, decompression, or decryption prior to execution). Such software code can be stored, partially or fully, on a memory device of the executing computing device, for execution by the computing device. Software instructions can be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be further appreciated that hardware modules can be comprised of connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and/or can be comprised of programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules or computing device functionality described herein are preferably implemented as software modules, but can be represented in hardware or firmware. Generally, the modules described herein refer to logical modules that can be combined with other modules or divided into sub-modules despite their physical organization or storage. 
     Computer system  100  can implement the techniques described herein using customized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and/or program logic which in combination with the computer system causes or programs computer system  100  to be a special-purpose machine. According to some embodiments, the operations, functionalities, and techniques and other features described herein are performed by computer system  100  in response to processor  104  executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory  106 . Such instructions can be read into main memory  106  from another storage medium, such as storage device  110 . Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory  106  causes processor  104  to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry can be used in place of or in combination with software instructions. 
     The term “non-transitory media” as used herein refers to any non-transitory media storing data and/or instructions that cause a machine to operate in a specific fashion. Such non-transitory media can comprise non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile media can include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device  110 . Volatile media can include dynamic memory, such as main memory  106 . Common forms of non-transitory media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic data storage medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical data storage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip or cartridge, and networked versions of the same. 
     Non-transitory media is distinct from, but can be used in conjunction with, transmission media. Transmission media can participate in transferring information between storage media. For example, transmission media can include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus  102 . Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications. 
     Various forms of media can be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor  104  for execution. For example, the instructions can initially be carried on a magnetic disk or solid state drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system  100  can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitter to convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector can receive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on bus  102 . Bus  102  carries the data to main memory  106 , from which processor  104  retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory  106  can optionally be stored on storage device  110  either before or after execution by processor  104 . 
     Computer system  100  can also include a communication interface  118  coupled to bus  102 . Communication interface  118  can provide a two-way data communication coupling to a network link  120  that can be connected to a local network  122 . For example, communication interface  118  can be an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellite modem, or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communication interface  118  can be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links can also be implemented. In any such implementation, communication interface  118  can send and receive electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information. 
     Network link  120  can typically provide data communication through one or more networks to other data devices. For example, network link  120  can provide a connection through local network  122  to a host computer  124  or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP)  126 . ISP  126  in turn can provide data communication services through the world wide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the “Internet”  128 . Local network  122  and Internet  128  both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through the various networks and the signals on network link  120  and through communication interface  118 , which carry the digital data to and from computer system  100 , can be example forms of transmission media. 
     Computer system  100  can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), network link  120  and communication interface  118 . In the Internet example, a server  130  can transmit a requested code for an application program through Internet  128 , ISP  126 , local network  122  and communication interface  118 . 
     The received code can be executed by processor  104  as it is received, and/or stored in storage device  110 , or other non-volatile storage for later execution. In some embodiments, server  130  can provide information for being displayed on a display. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram depicting an exemplary internal database system  200 , consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. Among other things, system  200  facilitates transformation of one or more data sources, such as data sources  230 , into an object model  260 , whose semantics are defined by an ontology  250 . The transformation can be performed for a variety of reasons. For example, a database administrator can wish to import data from data sources  230  into a database  270  for persistently storing object model  260 . As another example, a data presentation component (not depicted) can transform input data from data sources  230  “on the fly” into object model  260 . Object model  260  can then be utilized, in conjunction with ontology  250 , for analysis through graphs and/or other data visualization techniques. 
     System  200  comprises a definition component  210  and a transformation component  220 , both implemented by one or more processors on one or more computing devices executing hardware and/or software-based logic for providing various functionality described herein. As will be appreciated from the present disclosure, system  200  can comprise fewer or additional components that provide various functionalities described herein. Such components are, for clarity, omitted from  FIG. 1 . Moreover, the component(s) of system  200  responsible for providing various functionalities can further vary from embodiment to embodiment. 
     Definition component  210  generates and/or modifies ontology  250  and a schema map  240 . Exemplary embodiments for defining an ontology (such as ontology  250 ) is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,962,495 (the &#39;495 patent), issued Jun. 14, 2011, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Among other things, the &#39;495 patent describes embodiments that define a dynamic ontology for use in creating data in a database. For creating a database ontology, one or more object types are created where each object type can include one or more properties. The attributes of object types or property types of the ontology can be edited or modified at any time. 
     In some embodiments, each property type is declared to be representative of one or more object types. A property type is representative of an object type when the property type is intuitively associated with the object type. For example, a property type of “geographical location” may be representative of an object type “locale” but not representative of an object type “style.” 
     Schema map  240  can define how various elements of schemas  235  for data sources  230  map to various elements of ontology  250 . Definition component  210  receives, calculates, extracts, or otherwise identifies schemas  235  for data sources  230 . Schemas  235  define the structure of data sources  230 —for example, the names and other characteristics of tables, files, columns, fields, properties, and so forth. Definition component  210  furthermore optionally identifies sample data  236  from data sources  230 . Definition component  210  can further identify object type, relationship, and property definitions from ontology  250 , if any already exist. Definition component  210  can further identify pre-existing mappings from schema map  240 , if such mappings exist. 
     Transformation component  220  can be invoked after schema map  140  and ontology  250  have been defined or redefined. Transformation component  220  identifies schema map  240  and ontology  250 . Transformation component  120  further reads data sources  230  and identifies schemas  235  for data sources  230 . For each element of ontology  250  described in schema map  240 , transformation component  220  iterates through some or all of the data items of data sources  230 , generating elements of object model  260  in the manner specified by schema map  240 . In some embodiments, transformation component  220  can store a representation of each generated element of object model  260  in a database  270 . In some embodiments, transformation component  220  is further configured to synchronize changes in object model  160  back to data sources  230 . 
     Data sources  230  can be one or more sources of data, including, without limitation, spreadsheet files, databases, email folders, document collections, media collections, contact directories, and so forth. Data sources  230  can include structured data (e.g., a database, a .csv file, or any tab delimited or fixed-width file), semi-structured data (e.g., an email, an email server, or forms such as a suspicious activity report or currency transaction report), or unstructured data (e.g., encoded files such as PDF, sound, and image files). Data sources  230  can include data structures stored persistently in non-volatile memory. Data sources  230  can also or instead include temporary data structures generated from underlying data sources via data extraction components, such as a result set returned from a database server executing an database query. 
     Schema map  240 , ontology  250 , and schemas  235  can be stored in any suitable data structures, such as XML files, database tables, and so forth. In some embodiments, ontology  250  is maintained persistently. Schema map  240  can or cannot be maintained persistently, depending on whether the transformation process is perpetual or a one-time event. Schemas  235  need not be maintained in persistent memory, but can be cached for optimization. 
     Object model  260  comprises collections of elements such as typed objects, properties, and relationships. The collections can be structured in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, a database  270  stores the elements of object model  260 , or representations thereof. In some embodiments, the elements of object model  260  are stored within database  270  in a different underlying format, such as in a series of object, property, and relationship tables in a relational database 
     Based on the identified information, definition component  210  can generate a graphical interface  215 . Graphical interface  215  can be presented to users of a computing device via any suitable output mechanism (e.g., a display screen, an image projection, etc.), and can further accept input from users of the computing device via any suitable input mechanism (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen interface). Graphical interface  215  may feature a visual workspace that visually depicts representations of the elements of ontology  250  for which mappings are defined in schema map  240 . Graphical interface  215  can further utilize the sample data  236  to provide the user with a preview of object model  260  as the user defines schema map  240 . In response to the input via the various controls of graphical interface  215 , definition component  210  can generate and/or modify ontology  250  and schema map  240 , and/or identify object models and sample data schemas  235  and data sources  230 . 
     In some embodiments, graphical interface  215  also provides a user with the ability to add structure to an unstructured document stored in data sources  230  by tagging one or more portions (e.g., text) within the document. Defining tags and applying these tags to a portion of the document can create tag objects, properties, or links creating a relationship between one or more tag objects and/or properties. In some embodiments, graphical interface  215  allows a user to input one or more pre-defined tags to retrieve a tagged document, and/or a set of related documents that are associated with other pre-defined tags which are different from, but have a relationship to, the one or more input pre-defined tags. In some embodiments, graphical interface  215  also displays to the user the tags associated with those related documents, and the user can use those tags to identify another tagged documents, and/or another set of related documents, thereby allowing the user to “move” between the documents stored in data sources  230  guided by the relationships between the pre-defined tags. 
       FIG. 3  is a chart  300  illustrating an exemplary hierarchical structure of tags  310  (“tag hierarchy”), consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the exemplary tag hierarchy in  FIG. 3  can provide part of the structure of object model  260  stored within database  270  in  FIG. 2 . Tag hierarchy  310  can include dimensions  320 . For example, as shown in tag hierarchy  310 , these dimensions include a locale dimension  340 , a subject matter dimension  350 , a medium dimension  360 , and a style dimension  370 . Each dimension includes a set of tags, which includes one or more tags linked to that dimension. In some embodiments, tags are created as objects with attributes, and these links can be established based on the attributes of the tags. The tags constitute a group of tags  330 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , locale dimension  340  can include a set of tags having attributes related to regions and countries. As an exemplary illustration, under the locale dimension  340 , there is a United States tag  341  and a Germany tag  342 . There can also be a further subset of tags (e.g., California tag  343  and Texas tag  344 ) under United States tag  341 , where California tag  343  and Texas tag  344  have attributes indicating that they are associated with United States (e.g. being a state of the United States), which can allow California tag  343  and Texas tag  344  to be linked to United States tag  341 . Similarly, California tag  343  can also have a further subset of tags (e.g. Palo Alto tag  345 ). 
     The relationship between a tag and any corresponding subset of tags can be based on attributes in that tag and in the corresponding subset of tags. For example, Palo Alto tag  345  has attributes indicating that it is associated with California (e.g., a city of the state of California), which can allow Palo Alto tag  345  to be linked to California tag  343 . 
     Under tag hierarchy  310 , subject matter dimension  350  can include tags with attributes related to a classification based on content. As an exemplary illustration, under subject matter dimension  350 , there are scenery tag  351  and living tag  352 , where scenery tag  351  has attributes indicating that the content is related to scenery (e.g. depicting or describing a scene), while living tag  352  has attributes indicating that the content is related to a living thing (e.g. depicting or describing a living organism, such as human). Scenery tag  351  can have a further subset of tags (e.g. architecture tag  353 ), where architecture tag  353  has attributes indicating that the content is related to architecture (e.g. depicting or describing buildings), which can allow architecture tag  353  to be linked with scenery tag  351 . Similarly, living tag  352  can have a further subset of tags (e.g. people tag  354 ), where people tag  354  has attributes indicating that the content is related to a human (e.g. a portrait), which can allow tag  354  to be linked with living tag  352 . 
     Under tag hierarchy  310 , medium dimension  360  can include tags with attributes related to a classification based on a medium on which the content is rendered. As an exemplary illustration, there are paper tag  361  and film tag  362  under medium dimension  360 . Furthermore, style dimension  370  can also include tags with attributes related to a classification based on a style of rendering the content. As an exemplary illustration, there are classical tag  371  and modern tag  372  under the style dimension  370 . A person with ordinary skill in the art will understand that the dimensions and tags depicted in  FIG. 3  are for illustration purposes only, and there is no limitation on the number of dimensions, how dimensions are defined, and how the tags are organized under each dimension. 
       FIG. 4A  shows, in a chart  400 , an exemplary object model reflecting relationships between tags, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. In chart  400 , each circle represents a cell, and each line represents a relationship between cells. In some embodiments, a cell within the object model can be associated with one or more pre-defined tags, and the relationship between the cells can be defined based on a relationship between the attributes of the tags associated with the cells. Each of the cells can also be associated with the tagged documents stored in data sources  230  of  FIG. 2  via, for example, common tags or related tags associated with both the cells and the tagged documents. A document can also be associated with one or more of the cells, if the document is tagged with multiple sets of tags that are associated with multiple cells. 
     Chart  400  also includes a sub-chart  410  which includes an exemplary subset of cells and relationships of the object model.  FIG. 4B  shows a close-up view of sub-chart  410 . Sub-chart  410  illustrates cells  420 ,  430 ,  440 ,  450 ,  460 , and  470 , as well as relationships  425 ,  435 ,  445 ,  455 ,  465 ,  475 , and  485 . As an exemplary illustration, cell  420  can be associated with United States tag  341 , cell  430  can be associated with California tag  343 , cell  440  can be associated with Palo Alto tag  345 , cell  450  can be associated with Germany tag  342 , cell  460  can be associated with a Japan tag (not shown in tag hierarchy  310  of  FIG. 3 ), and cell  470  can be associated with a Tokyo tag (not shown in tag hierarchy  310  of  FIG. 3 ). Among these cells, cell  420  (with the United States tag), cell  450  (with the Germany tag), and cell  460  (with the Japan tag) can have relationship  455 ,  465 , and  475  between each other by virtue of, for example, that the United States tag, the Germany tag, and the Japan tag all have attributes related to an indication of a country with a developed economy. 
     Cell  430  (with the California tag) has relationship  425  with cell  420  (with the United States tag) by virtue of, for example, that the California tag has attributes that link it to United States tag  341  (e.g. California being a state of United States), the link to which can allow the California tag to be related to the United States tag. Furthermore, cell  440  (with the Palo Alto tag) can also have relationship  435  with cell  430  by virtue of, for example, that the Palo Alto tag includes attributes that link it to California tag  343  (e.g. Palo Alto being a city of California), the link to which can allow the Palo Alto tag to be related to the California tag. Palo Alto tag  345  can also include attributes that link it to United States tag  341  (e.g. Palo Alto being a city of United States), the link to which can allow cell  440  to also have the relationship  445  with cell  420 . 
     On the other hand, cell  460  (with the Japan tag) can have a relationship  485  with cell  470  (with the Tokyo tag) by virtue of, for example, that the Tokyo tag has attributes that link it to the Japan tag (e.g. Tokyo being a city of Japan), the link to which can allow the Tokyo tag to be related to the Japan tag. But in this exemplary illustration, the Tokyo tag may have no relationship with the Germany tag, the United States tag, the California tag, or the Palo Alto tag, therefore cell  470  may have no relationship with cells  420 ,  430 ,  440 , or  450  within sub-chart  410 . 
       FIG. 5  is a chart  500  illustrating an exemplary object model reflecting relationships between combinations of tags of the exemplary hierarchical structure of tags depicted in  FIG. 3 , consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the object model shown in chart  500  includes cells  510 ,  530 ,  550 ,  570 , and  590 , each of which can be, respectively, associated with tag combinations  512 ,  532 ,  552 ,  572 , and  592 . Each tag combination includes one or more tags for each of its dimensions, which include, for example, locale dimension  340 , subject matter dimension  350 , medium dimension  360 , and style dimension  370  as depicted in  FIG. 3 . The tag combination can include tags of tag hierarchy  310  as depicted in  FIG. 3 , and can include one or more tags for each dimension as depicted in  FIG. 3 . Each of these cells can also be associated with the tagged documents stored in data sources  230  of  FIG. 2  via the tags. The object model shown in chart  500  also includes relationships  520 ,  540 ,  545 ,  565 ,  568 , and  585  between the cells. As to be illustrated below, these relationships can be determined based on the relationship between tags within one or more dimensions. 
     As an exemplary illustration, cell  510  is associated with tag combination  512 , which includes United States tag  341  under the locale dimension and scenery tag  351  under the subject matter dimension. Cell  530  is associated with tag combination  532 , which includes California tag  343  under the locale dimension, scenery tag  351  under the subject matter dimension, paper tag  361  under the medium dimension, and classical tag  371  under the style dimension. Cell  570  is associated with tag combination  572 . Tag combination  572  is otherwise identical to tag combination  532  except that tag combination  572  has Palo Alto tag  345  instead of California tag  343  under the locale dimension. Moreover, cell  550  is associated with tag combination  552 , which includes Texas tag  344  under the locale dimension, scenery tag  351  under the subject matter dimension, paper tag  361  under the medium dimension, and modern tag  372  under the style dimension. Lastly, cell  590  is associated with tag combination  592 . Tag combination  592  is otherwise identical to tag combination  552 , except that tag combination  592  has Germany tag  342  instead of Texas tag  344  under the locale dimension. 
     Relationship  520  between cell  510  and cell  530  can be determined based on, for example, a relationship between the United States tag (associated with cell  510 ) and the California tag (associated with cell  530 ) under the locale dimension. A relationship  540  between cell  510  and cell  550  can also be determined based on, for example, a relationship between the Texas tag (associated with cell  550 ) and the United States tag under the locale dimension. Furthermore, relationship  545  between cell  530  and cell  550  can also be determined based on, for example, both the relationship between the California tag and the Texas tag under the locale dimension, as well as the relationship between the paper tag (associated with cell  530 ) and the film tag (associated with cell  550 ) under the medium dimension. In this particular example, because both cells  510  and  530  have scenery tag  351  for the subject matter dimension, the subject matter dimension can be ignored in determining relationship  520 . Also, because cell  510  does not have tags for the medium and style dimensions, these dimensions can also be ignored in determining relationships  520  and  540 . 
     As discussed before, the relationship between tags can be determined based, for example, the attributes of the tags. In addition, relationship between tags can also be established in other ways. For example, tags can become related to each other when both tags are associated with a document, with documents that have related metadata, or with a cell. Furthermore, relationship between tags can also be created manually according to any pre-defined condition. 
     In some embodiments, each tag combination in  FIG. 5  can be represented as a multi-dimensional vector, with each dimension of tag hierarchy  310  represented by a vector dimension, and a combination of one or more tags under a dimension of tag hierarchy  310  contributes to a magnitude of the vector along that vector dimension, based on the attributes of the tags. The relationship between tags can then be calculated as, for example, an imaginary distance between the multi-dimensional vectors representing the tag combinations. In some embodiments, such imaginary distance can be calculated by first projecting the multi-dimensional vectors representing the tag combinations onto a pre-defined plane, and then calculating a distance between the projections on the pre-defined plane. In some embodiments, when the calculated distance exceeds a certain threshold, it can be determined that no relationship exists between the tag combinations. In some embodiments, the relationship between cells (or between tag combinations associated with the cells) can also be added manually with or without considering the calculated distance. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 5 , cell  570  is associated with tag combination  572 , which includes Palo Alto tag  345  under the locale dimension, and the locale dimension is the only dimension with different tags when compared with tag combination  532  associated with cell  530 . Relationship  565  can then be determined based on, for example, the relationship between California tag  343  and Palo Alto tag  345  under the locale dimension alone. Similarly, cell  590  is associated with tag combination  592 , which includes Germany tag  342  under the locale dimension, and the locale dimension is the only dimension with different tags when compared with the tag combination  552  associated with cell  550 . Relationship  585  can then be determined based on, for example, the relationship between Germany tag  342  and Texas tag  344  under the locale dimension alone. 
     Relationship  568  between cells  570  and  590  can also be determined based on, for example, both the relationship between the Palo Alto tag (associated with cell  570 ) and the Germany tag (associated with cell  590 ) under the locale dimension, as well as the relationship between the classical tag (associated with cell  570 ) and the modern tag (associated with cell  590 ) under the medium dimension. In some embodiments, as discussed above, each of the cells in object model  500  can be associated with documents stored in data sources  230  that are tagged with the same tags associated with each cell, and relationship  568  can be established by, for example, that a document stored in data sources  230  describes a Germany film derived from a Palo Alto novel, and therefore is tagged with tags including, for example, Germany tag  342 , Palo Alto tag  345 , paper tag  361 , and film tag  362 , etc., notwithstanding any calculated distance between these tags. 
       FIG. 6A  and  FIG. 6B  are screenshots depicting an exemplary interface  600  for selecting one or more tags to identify a document, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the exemplary interface can be provided by an application. The application can be a web browser such as, for example, Google™ Chrome™, Mozilla™ Firefox™, Microsoft™ Internet Explorer™, etc. 
     In some embodiments, a bookmarklet is installed in the web browser. A bookmarklet can be a bookmark that is stored in a web browser and can contain JavaScript™ commands to extend the web browser&#39;s functionality. That is, a bookmarklet can be a simple “one-click” tool that can add functionality to the web browser. For example, a bookmarklet can modify the appearance of a web page within the web browser by changing the font size or the background color of the text, and/or extract data from a web page. 
     In some embodiments, a plug-in, instead of a bookmarklet, can be installed. A plug-in can be implemented as a set of software components that adds specific abilities to a larger software application, like a web browser, to enable customizing the functionality of the software application. For example, a plug-in can be installed in a web browser to enable the web browser to play video. 
     In some embodiments, the exemplary interface can be provided by a client-side application. All the exemplary interfaces discussed below can take in any form, such as being displayed as a pop-up window. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 6A , interface  600  includes a locale field  602  for the locale dimension, a subject matter field  604  for the subject matter dimension, a medium field  606  for the medium dimension, and a style field  608  for the style dimension. Each of these fields can receive one or more tags as input to identify one or more relevant documents through interface  600 , and can also display one or more tags as output through interface  600 . 
     Fields  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608  can receive input via any means. For example, interface  600  can allow a user to type in the tags or, in some embodiments as shown in  FIG. 6B , further provides a pull-down menu  622  from which the user can choose one or more tags. In some embodiments, the field can also receive an incomplete text input, and then provide a list of suggested tags for the user to choose from. The list of suggested tags may include pre-defined tags that closely match the incomplete text input. In some embodiments, instead of providing a field for each dimension, interface  600  can provide a single field for tag selection for all dimensions, and the user can either type in a combination of tags into the single field, or select the tags from a pull-down menu provided by the single field. 
     In some embodiments, a search field  610  is also provided, allowing the user to search for documents based on text, rather than tags. After receiving the tags or the search text input, user interface  600  corresponds with object model  260  and/or database  270  to search for or identify the documents. In some embodiments, the user is provided an option to select, by clicking on button  612 , to explore the result presented in a graphical map similar to chart  400  of  FIG. 4A , where the graphical map can show one or more icons with links between them. In some embodiments, each icon in the graphical map represents a document and is selectable, and a selection of the icon can trigger a selection and a display of the document represented by the icon, while the link represents relationships between the tags associated with the documents represented by the icons. 
     In some embodiments, the user is provided an option to select, by clicking on button  614 , to list the search result. The listing of search result will be discussed later. 
       FIG. 7A  is a screenshot depicting an exemplary interface  700  for identifying and displaying documents based on tags, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on one or more tags received in, for example, interface  600  of  FIG. 6A , one or more documents (in this case, document  702 ) can be identified and displayed by virtue of the fact that, for example, document  702  is associated with a cell that is associated with the received tags. 
     Interface  700  may include fields  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608  of interface  600  to display the tags received. In this exemplary illustration, California tag  343  is input under the locale dimension with field  602 , scenery tag  351  is input under the subject matter dimension with field  604 , and modern tag  372  is input under the style dimension with field  608 , while no tag is input for the medium dimension. Document  702  titled “California Impressionism” can then be identified and displayed through interface  700  in response to the California tag, the scenery tag, and the modern tag input by virtue of, for example, document  702  being associated with a cell that is associated with these tags. 
     In some embodiments, interface  700  can also provide a means to access other documents related to document  702  or related to the tags selected. As shown in  FIG. 7A , interface  700  provides a related-overview button  704 , a linked-documents button  706 , and a related-documents button  708 . 
     In an exemplary illustration, after clicking on the related-overviews button, a pull-down menu  710  can be displayed, which includes options including US art market, US film overview, and US photography overview.  FIG. 7B  is a screenshot depicting that a document  712  titled “United States Art Market” is identified and displayed when the “US Art Market option” of pull-down menu  710  is selected. As shown in  FIG. 7B , document  712  is associated with United States tag  341 , which is a hierarchical superset of California tag  343 , and scenery tag  351 . The related-overviews option can allow the user to identify documents that are relatively more closely related to document  702  of  FIG. 7A . The closer relationship can be determined base on, for example, that document  712  is associated with a tag (United States tag  341 ) that is within the same dimension (locale dimension  340 ) as one of the tags associated with document  702  (California tag  343 ), or that a distance between documents  702  and  712  is below a certain threshold, as indicated by the fact that they are both associated with scenery tag  351 . 
     In another exemplary illustration, as shown in  FIG. 7C , after clicking on the related-documents button  708 , a pull-down menu  714  can be displayed, which includes an option “Introduction to World Art.” In some embodiments, related-documents button  708  can also provide access to documents that are more broadly related to document  702  of  FIG. 7A . For example, as shown in  FIG. 7C , a document  716  titled “Introduction to World Art” is identified and displayed when the “Introduction to World Art” option of pull-down menu  714  is selected. As shown in  FIG. 7C , document  716  is associated with scenery tag  351  and living tag  352  under the subject matter dimension, and is also associated with paper tag  361  and film tag  362  under the style dimension. Document  716  can be determined to be more broadly related to document  702  of  FIG. 7A  based on, for example, that while documents  716  and  702  are both associated with scenery tag  351  under the subject matter dimension, document  716  is associated with tags that are not associated with document  702  within the same dimension (e.g., living tag  352 ). The determination can also be based on that document  716  is associated with one or more tags of a specific dimension, while document  702  is not associated with any tag from that specific dimension (e.g., paper tag  361  and film tag  362  of the medium dimension). Therefore, related-documents button  708  allows a user to access documents across more dimensions and tags than related-overview button  704 . 
     In another exemplary illustration, as shown in  FIG. 7D , after clicking on the linked-documents button, a pull-down menu  718  can be displayed. In some embodiments, linked documents button  708  can provide access to documents associated with tags that have a lateral relationship with the tags selected. For example, referring to  FIG. 3 , the California tag  343  and the Germany tag  342  can be lateral to each other within tag hierarchy  310 . 
     According to  FIG. 7D , a document  720  titled “Architecture of Germany” is identified and displayed, when Architecture of Germany option of pull-down menu  718  is selected. As shown in  FIG. 7D , document  720  is associated with Germany tag  342  and architecture tag  353 . In this example, document  720  also has a California tag  343  because document  720  discusses about some of the landmarks in Germany are designed by architects from California, as shown in paragraph  722 . The linked-documents option thus can also allow the user to identify documents associated with at least a tag (e.g. Germany tag  342 ) that has a lateral relationship with any one of the selected tags (e.g. California tag  343 ). 
       FIG. 7E  is a screenshot depicting an exemplary interface  750  for identifying and displaying documents based on tags, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. Interface  750  includes a search interface  752  which can allow a search and display of one or more documents based on tags. In some embodiments, search interface  752  can be activated by, for example, clicking on button  614  of interface  600  as depicted in  FIG. 6A  to list the search result. In some embodiments, search interface  752  includes a locale field  754  for the locale dimension, a subject matter field  756  for the subject matter dimension, a medium field  758  for the medium dimension, and an style field  760  for the style dimension, which can allow the user to specify tags under each dimension for the search. In some embodiments, interface  750  may further include fields  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608  of interface  600 , and the fields  754 ,  756 ,  758 , and  760  of the search interface  752  can be synchronized with, respectively, fields  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608 . In this exemplary illustration, United States tag  341  is input for the locale dimension, and scenery tag  351  is input for the subject matter dimension. Both fields  754  and  756  of search interface  752  can then display the same tags as, respectively, fields  602  and  604  of interface  750 . A search for documents that are associated with a combination of tags input through fields  754 ,  756 ,  758 , and  760  can then be performed, after clicking on the “search” button  762 . The search interface  752  may also allow the user to provide additional search conditions, such as limiting to the search result to, for example, a start date and an end date provided through input fields  764  and  766 . The user can clear the search conditions (e.g. tags and start/end date) by clicking on the “clear” button  768 . After the search is performed, search result  770  is displayed. In this exemplary embodiment, search result  770  displays metadata such as the file type and the title of the documents found. The user can also select a document from the search result  770 , which can lead to the displaying of document  772 . 
       FIG. 8A  is a screenshot depicting an exemplary interface  800  for identifying and displaying documents based on tags from previously identified documents, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. Interface  800  includes fields  602 - 608  of interface  600 . In this example, United States tag  341  is input for the locale dimension with field  602 , scenery tag  351  is input for the subject matter dimension with field  604 , paper tag  361  is input for the medium dimension with field  606 , and classical tag  371  is input for the style dimension with field  608 . Thus, in this illustration, a tag combination identical to tag combination  532  of  FIG. 5  is input for the search. Interface  800  also includes a search results interface  820 , which displays search results  821 - 827 . Search results  821 - 827  can show a list of, for example, documents that are found based on the selected tags, with metadata for each document, such as title  830 , date  832 , and author  834 . Each of the documents in the search results can be selected, with additional information of the selected document displayed, such as classification  842 , and tag combination  847 . 
     In this exemplary illustration, a document titled “Exhibition of Expressionism in Germany and France at Houston Art Museum” is chosen, and is displayed as document  850 . Selected document  850  is tagged with, for example, tag combination  847 , which is identical to tag combination  552  of  FIG. 5 , and which includes Texas tag  344 , scenery tag  351 , paper tag  361 , and modern tag  372 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , selected document  850  can be associated with cell  550 , by virtue of having tag combination  847  which is identical to tag combination  552 , and cell  550  has relationship  545  with cell  530  that is associated with tag combination  532  which is identical to the tag combination input for this search. In some embodiments, interface  800  may also allow the user to add or modify the tags associated with the chosen document. For example, the user can remove classical tag  371  from the document, or tag the document with other tags under the style dimension. 
       FIG. 8B  is another screenshot depicting exemplary interface  800 . After the selection of document  850 , which is tagged with tag combination  847  (which is identical to tag combination  552 ), fields  602 - 608  can be populated with the tags of tag combination  847 . In this exemplary illustration, the locale dimension, which has California tag  343  when the prior search is performed, can be populated with Texas tag  344  from selected document  850 . Moreover, the style dimension, which has classical tag  371  when the prior search is performed, can be populated with modern tag  372 , also from selected document  850 . The user can then perform a new search, and an updated search results  850  is shown, which includes search results  851 - 854 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , some of the documents in search result  850  may be associated with a cell that is related to cell  550  associated with tag combination  552  (which is identical to tag combination  847 ), such as cell  590 , cell  510 , and cell  530 , etc. This can allow the user to begin with an initial group of tags to identify one or more documents related to the initial set of tags, and then receive additional or new sets of tags from the identified documents. The additional or new sets of tags can then be used to refine the user&#39;s exploration in the universe of documents stored in data sources  230 , and the refinement can be guided by the predefined relationship between the tags, which can determine the set of related documents provided for a given set of tags. 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart representing an exemplary method  900  performed by an electronic device for identifying documents based on selected tags, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. The selected tags can be part of a predefined tag hierarchy (e.g., tag hierarchy  310  of  FIG. 3 ). 
     In this exemplary illustration, the electronic device (e.g., a computer system  100 ) can interact with one or more other devices and/or storage components (e.g., data sources  230 , object model  260 , and database  270  of system  200  depicted in  FIG. 2 ) for assisting with the identification of documents. While the flowchart discloses the following steps in a particular order, it will be appreciated that at least some of the steps can be moved, modified, or deleted where appropriate, consistent with the teachings of the present disclosure. And while the following steps are indicated as being performed by an electronic device, it is appreciated that the steps can be performed by more than one electronic device. 
     In step  902 , the electronic device acquires a selection of one or more tags for at least one dimension defined under the tag hierarchy. The selection can be provided by a web-browser, or by a client-side application, after receiving the selection from a user. 
     In step  904 , after acquiring the tag selection, the electronic device identifies one or more cells that are associated with the selected tags, and/or one or more cells associated with tags related to the selected tags. As indicated above, these identified cells can be provided by an object model (e.g., object model  260 ). In some embodiments, the relationship can be determined based on the attributes of the tags. For example, if a cell has attributes that match the selected tags, that cell can be identified. 
     In some embodiments, a combination of tags of one or more dimensions within tag hierarchy  310  can be represented as a multi-dimensional vector, with each dimension of tag hierarchy  310  represented by a vector dimension, and a combination of one or more tags under a dimension of tag hierarchy  310  contributes to a magnitude of the vector along that vector dimension, based on the attributes of the tags. The relationship between tags can then be calculated as, for example, an imaginary distance between the multi-dimensional vectors representing the tag combinations. In some embodiments, such imaginary distance can be calculated by first projecting the multi-dimensional vectors representing the tag combinations onto a pre-defined plane, and then calculating a distance between the projections on the pre-defined plane. In some embodiments, when the calculated distance exceeds a certain threshold, it can be determined that no relationship exists between the tag combinations. In some embodiments, the relationship between cells (or between tag combinations associated with the cells) can also be added manually with or without considering the calculated distance. 
     In step  906 , the electronic device identifies documents associated with the one or more identified cells. As indicated above, tagged documents are associated with cells. 
     In step  908 , the electronic device provides data corresponding to the identified documents for display. The identified documents can be represented as a list similar to search results  820  depicted in  FIG. 8A , or similar to a graphical representation as depicted in  FIG. 4A . 
     In step  910 , the electronic device further provides data facilitating retrieval of documents with tags related to the selected tags. The data can be provided and displayed after, for example, the electronic device detects the clicking of at least one of related overview button  704 , a linked documents button  706 , and a related documents button  708  of interface  700 . The data facilitating retrieval of documents can be displayed in the same interface as the data for the identified documents. For example, interface  700  can further include a pop-up window that includes requested information. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates an example user interface  1000  that, in some examples, contains categories  1010  and sub-categories  1020  of information. These categories  1010  (and  1020 ) may be included in an object model such as object model  260  described in to  FIG. 2 . Object model  260  can be used in conjunction with ontology  250  for analysis using graphs and/or other visualization techniques. As described above, cells in a data structure (as described with reference to  FIG. 5 , and also referred to herein as artifacts) can include information that can be tagged or otherwise contain metadata that is associated with categories  1010 . In various embodiments, information that can be tagged can be a document, a spreadsheet, an html file, a video, etc. In example user interface  1000 , the assets and debts of an entity are shown as categories, which are further parsed into categories  1010  that include assets and debts such as buildings, stock, and loans. These categories can correspond with tags, and a user can select any of these categories  1010  or sub-categories  1020 , such as cash on hand, for example, to view artifacts associated with category  1010  or sub-category  1020 . 
     As an example of a work-flow, a user may log into a web-based analytics system to view artifacts and run analyses associated with a particular topic. From user interface  1000 , a user may select an entity using a widget (not shown), and attributes of the entity such as cash on hand. In response to selecting cash on hand, a user may be shown financial documents such as bank statements, a CFO report, or other information. In some embodiments, an artifact stored in a data structure (e.g., such as a database) may include a hyperlink to these financial documents, although it should be appreciated that the various documents such as a bank statement may be stored in the data structure as well. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates an example user interface  1100  including an ontology  1110  that begins with four categories  1120 : country, topic, holding, and entity. It should be appreciated that these may correspond with or take the place of tags from  FIG. 3 . With reference to  FIG. 2  above, in various embodiments, ontology  1110  can be included in internal database system  200  as ontology  250 . Ontology  1110  may be created by a large corporation and used in conjunction with a data structure that includes many artifacts associated with various categories  1120 , which may correspond with tags. When accessing content online, users can select documents or portions of documents and store links to them in a data structure as artifacts (e.g., a uniform resource identifier (URI) can be stored as an artifact). These artifacts can include links to text, images, audio, dynamic content, spreadsheets, databases, document  702  of  FIG. 7A , etc. Over time, as users add artifacts, a data structure will contain an increasingly large amount of artifacts associated with particular tags. 
     Large centralized data structures that can be modified by many people in an organization can be difficult to manage. An organization may want consistency across departments when creating and tagging artifacts, such that information can be found quickly and easily by everyone in the organization. Sometimes, users may disagree about how artifacts should be organized in an ontology. For example, users may disagree about how a hierarchy of tags (e.g., which may include categories  1120 ) in an ontology is configured. 
     As an example, some users may want one level of an ontology to categorize information associated with a continent into: (1) developed, and (2) underdeveloped nations. Other users may want the same level of the ontology to categorize information associated with a continent into: (1) nations with a per capita income above $1,000 USD, and (2) nations with a per capita income below $1,000 USD. Since many users who access the data structure and may disagree about the terminology in an ontology, it would be impractical to allow any user to modify the ontology. Instead, in some examples, a distributed version control system such as Git can be used to govern modifications to an ontology. In some embodiments, one or more users may be designated as administrators, and be able to accept or reject proposed changes to an ontology received from users. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates an example user interface  1200  including an example ontology  1210  that, on its first level, includes the four categories  1220  shown in  FIG. 11 : country, topic, holding, and asset. The second level of example ontology  1210  includes categories  1230  representing regions that include countries such as South American and North America. Similarly, the third level of example ontology  1210  categorizes countries in South America as developed or underdeveloped. The categories  1240  in the third level of ontology  1210  further divides into categories  1250  representing various developed countries in South America, such as Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Lastly, the fifth level of ontology  1210  includes exports from a particular country in the fourth level of example ontology  1210 , such as railway equipment, wool, and fish. 
     In various embodiments, a user may select a category in ontology  1210  by clicking on the category in the user interface  1200  or by using a widget  1270 . In some embodiments, based on the selected category and/or other settings, ontology  1210  may dynamically expand such that a particular amount of ontology  1210  is shown in user interface  1200 . In other embodiments, artifacts associated with a category may be shown in response to a user clicking on the category, 
       FIG. 13  illustrates an example user interface  1300  that includes various categories (or tags)  1310 . Herein, the term tag may be used interchangeably with category to describe a term or phrase that describes an artifact. In various embodiments, a selected tag  1310  may be shown in user interface  1300  based on a particular tag being selected (e.g., from the user interface  1200 ). Additional tags  1320  may be shown in user interface  1300  based on a category to which selected tag  1310  belongs. 
     For example, a user that wants to view information about Chile might click on Chile in the fourth level of ontology  1210  (of  FIG. 12 ). In some embodiments, icons indicating Chile and other associated countries may be displayed. From this interface, a user can select any country and view artifacts including a tag indicating that country, or run analyses on one or more of the displayed countries. In some embodiments, user interface  1300  may show different information based on a preferences a user has preset. For example, instead of showing countries in the same continent, a user may be shown countries with other attributes similar to Chile, such as countries with a similarly sized economy. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates an example user interface  1400  for selecting one or more tags to identify an artifact. It should be appreciated that the interfaces shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B  can be used with, or instead of  FIG. 14 , and that the system shown in user interface  1400  may operate in substantially the same manner as the system displayed in interface  600 . 
     Example user interface  1400  allows a user to input information about an artifact including its name  1410 , a description  1420  of the artifact, a hyperlink  1430  including the location of the artifact, tags  1440  associated with the artifact, an owner  1450  of the artifact, information regarding whether the artifact is a draft  1460  (e.g., an indicator as to whether the artifact is ready to be associated with tags  1440 ), a save button  1470 , and a publish button  1480 . 
     In one example, when a user signs onto their system and finds a document they would like to add as an artifact, they may click on a widget provided by an application to add the document as an artifact (e.g., the application described in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , which can be used to tag a document). Next, user interface  1400  may appear and allow a user to enter the name of the artifact. For example, name  1410  could be the name of a company in Santiago, Chile, that produces equipment for trains. A user optionally can enter a description  1420  of the document, which may describe the type of company. A hyperlink  1430  can also be entered by a user to link the artifact to the document itself. As discussed above, in some embodiments, an artifact is saved in a data structure and includes a hyperlink that points to the location of the document. 
     User interface  1400  also allows a user to enter tags  1440  associated with the artifact. In the example shown in  FIG. 14 , the tags describing a railway company in Chile include “Chile,” “Santiago,” “Exports,” and “Railway Equipment.” The user may enter an owner (e.g., themselves), and whether the document is a draft. In some embodiments, the owner of a document may have privileges that other users do not, such as the ability to remove an artifact from a data structure or edit the tags associated with an artifact. A user may then save an artifact by clicking on save button  1470 , so they may edit it later. In some embodiments, a user may publish an artifact in order to cause a system to associate the artifact with the tags. Once published, a user might return to their home page (e.g., user interface  1000 ) or a screen displaying various tags (e.g., user interfaces  1100 ,  1200 , and  1300 ) and click on a particular tag (e.g., category). Based on the tag the user selected, artifacts associated with the tag may be shown to a user including the artifacts that the user published. In some embodiments, in response to a user clicking on a tag, a list of artifacts including their names  1410  and descriptions  1420  may be displayed to save screen real estate. 
       FIG. 15  illustrates an example user interface  1500  that includes information associated with a particular tag  1510 . User interface  1500  illustrates example analyses that can be performed by the systems discussed herein. For example, a user may select a tag  1510  using one or more widgets to show various regions&#39; revenue per year in the railroad equipment sector. User interface  1500  includes the names of various regions  1520 , and revenues per year  1530  for each region. In addition, user interface  1500  may include widgets  1540  that cause a system to run another analysis. 
     It should be appreciated that, given the possible size of an ontology, a data structure may need to process hundreds or thousands of artifacts to provide the information shown in user interface  1500 . This information can be associated with a variety of organizations, and a variety of attributes. As additional examples, information shown in user interface  1500  may include, but is not limited to: an amount of revenue per year of oil companies in a particular country, the amount of debt held by a government of a particular city or state, a number of employees scheduled to work at a particular hospital during a particular day of the week, the locations of prisoners in a jail system, an amount of inventory in a factory in Taiwan, the average amount of food eaten by an African elephant, etc. 
       FIG. 16  is a flowchart representing an exemplary method  1600  performed by an electronic device for modifying an ontology, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     In this exemplary illustration, the electronic device (e.g., a computer system  100 ) can interact with one or more other devices and/or storage components (e.g., data sources  230 , object model  260 , and database  270  of system  200  depicted in  FIG. 2 ) for assisting with the modification of the ontology. While the flowchart discloses the following steps in a particular order, it will be appreciated that at least some of the steps can be moved, modified, or deleted where appropriate, consistent with the teachings of the present disclosure. And while the following steps are indicated as being performed by an electronic device, it is appreciated that the steps can be performed by more than one electronic device. 
     In step  1610 , the electronic device provides a master ontology to a recipient. As discussed above with reference to  FIG. 2 , an ontology can define the semantics of an object model. In various embodiments, an ontology includes the names and definitions of types, properties, and relationships between entities. An ontology can include multiple taxonomies, and various taxonomies within ontologies may organize artifacts in unique ways. 
     In some embodiments, a master ontology can be an ontology that more than one person uses. For example, an entire organization (e.g., an entity such as a company) may use a master ontology to categorize and/or define artifacts and their associated content. As discussed above, typically most users cannot modify a master ontology. For example, only a few users that have particular permissions may be able to approve changes to a master ontology. For a normal user (e.g., a user that does not have the permissions to approve modifications to the master ontology) to modify the master ontology, the user may request a master ontology using their machine, and the electronic device that stores the master ontology may send the master ontology to the user&#39;s machine. Once the user has received the master ontology, they may edit it in their own “sandbox.” In other words, they may edit their own version of the master ontology in their own environment such that the master ontology and/or other users&#39; copies of the ontology are not affected by changes a user makes to the ontology. 
     In an example described above, a user may want to change the names of categories (which, again, may be the names of possible tags) from one term or phrase to another. For example, a user may change “developed countries” and “underdeveloped countries” to “countries with a per capita income of more than $1,000” and “countries with a per capita income of less than $1,000.” If the user were to change the master ontology, artifact&#39;s tags may be disassociated with that category of the ontology, or in some cases a tag may accidently become associated with a new term added to an ontology. In various embodiments, user interfaces such as  1100  and  1200  allow users to interactively evolve ontologies by editing an ontology using a visual editor. It is further contemplated that in some embodiments a file may be submitted to bulk upload artifacts. For example, a comma separated values party (CSV) may be submitted and used to modify an ontology. 
     In step  1620 , the electronic device receives a modified copy of the master ontology from the recipient. After a user has modified a copy of the master ontology, they may send their modified (e.g., edited) version back to the electronic device that they received it from. Various types of version control systems can be used to implement this process, such as Git. In some embodiments, the master ontology is not replaced with the modified ontology immediately, but instead requires authorization from a user with the appropriate permissions such as an administrator. 
     In step  1630 , the electronic device receives an instruction to replace the master ontology with the modified copy of the master ontology. The instruction to replace the master ontology with the version of the ontology modified by the user may be made by an administrator with the appropriate permissions. In some embodiments, an administrator may apply a diff operation to the master ontology and received modified ontology. The diff operation receives both of the ontologies, and returns the differences between the two ontologies. 
     In step  1640 , the electronic device modifies the master ontology based on the modified copy of the master ontology. The electronic device may replace a master ontology with some or all of a modified ontology received from a user, and approved by an administrator. After the master ontology is modified, the electronic device or a system that includes the electronic device may modify artifacts, tag objects, tag types, or other data in response to the modification of the master ontology. For example, if a category in the ontology is changed from “developed countries” to “countries with a per capita income of $1,000 or more,” then some or all of the artifacts with the tag “developed countries” may have those tags changed to “countries with a per capita income of $1,000 or more.” This way, the organization&#39;s ontology continues to operate correctly in conjunction with artifacts and documents after it is modified. In one embodiment, the electronic device stores for each tag the artifact and a tag type identifier. The tag types may be stored in a database, and each tag type may include at least a tag type identifier and a corresponding label or name (e.g., &lt;1, “locale”&gt;, &lt;2, “subject matter”&gt;, &lt;3, “developed countries”&gt;). Accordingly, if the entry &lt;3, “developed countries”&gt; is changed to &lt;3, “countries with a per capita income of $1,000 or more”&gt;, then every tag that uses this tag may be changed to use the name or label “countries with a per capita income of $1,000 or more” instead of “developed countries.” In some embodiments, if there is no correlation between a new tag and a tag that was removed from an ontology, a system may remove the removed tag from artifacts that include is as well. 
     In step  1650 , the electronic device determines the most recent time that the master ontology was modified. In some embodiments, users other than the user that creates the modified ontology for replacing the master ontology may have requested and received their own versions of the master ontology, which they may modify. 
     To prevent the modification of an obsolete master ontology by these users, in step  1660  the electronic device may determine users (in this case referred to as additional recipients), that requested and received the master ontology, which may be obsolete if the actual master ontology was modified. For example, additional recipients of the master ontology who received it after the previous time it was updated, but before the master ontology&#39;s current update, may be identified or otherwise flagged. 
     In step  1670 , the electronic device provides the additional recipients with information associated with the replacement of the master ontology. After an electronic device determines which users received an outdated and/or obsolete version of the ontology, they may receive an alert (e.g., a message) informing them of the modifications to the master ontology. This alert may include information about when a master ontology was modified, who authorized the modification, who submitted the modification, when the modification was submitted and/or authorized, what portions of the master ontology were modified, and in some embodiments information about how the modifications to the master ontology affect various data included in a data structure, such as artifacts that an additional recipient is the owner of. Based on this information, an additional recipient of the original master ontology may know to stop working on their version of the ontology in their sandbox, and determine whether the updated master ontology still functions as before. 
     In the foregoing specification, embodiments have been described with reference to numerous specific details that can vary from implementation to implementation. Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can be made. Other embodiments can be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims. It is also intended that the sequence of steps shown in figures are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limited to any particular sequence of steps. As such, those skilled in the art can appreciate that these steps can be performed in a different order while implementing the same method.