Patent ID: 7844557

Claim:
A computerized method of representing a dataset with a taxonomy, comprising: representing a plurality of records within a dataset as a plurality of clusters in an initial taxonomy layer; generating a hierarchy of cluster sets based on clusters within the initial taxonomy layer, wherein the structure of the hierarchy is independent of the order of the records within the dataset; labeling clusters within the hierarchy; wherein the computerized method of representing a dataset with a taxonomy occurs within a physical computer; wherein generating the hierarchy includes successively merging cluster pairs together according to a predetermined entropic similarity condition; wherein successively merging clusters together includes: characterizing pairs of each of the plurality of clusters according to a predetermined entropic similarity metric; determining which cluster pairs have an entropic similarity characteristic that satisfies the predetermined entropic similarity condition; selecting all cluster pairs characterized by a value of the predetermined entropic similarity metric that satisfies the predetermined entropic similarity condition; merging the selected cluster pairs into a single cluster; creating a new taxonomy layer, the new taxonomy layer including the merged cluster pairs; isomorphically mapping all non-merged clusters into the new taxonomy layer; and repeating the characterizing, determining, selecting, merging, creating, and isomorphically mapping until a predetermined termination condition is satisfied.