Patent ID: 8566358

Claim:
A method for generating topic maps for a business, the method comprising the steps of: storing in a database, at a first layer of abstraction, a plurality of model assets for a business conducting commerce in an industry, wherein the plurality of model assets are specific to the business and specify infrastructure computing resources and related design and documentation files; storing in a database one or more industry models for the industry, wherein each of the industry models are independent of the business, wherein each of the industry models defines relationships among assets commonly utilized in the industry; and one or more computing devices automatically generating a plurality of topic maps for the business, each of the topic maps representing information utilizing topics, associations, and occurrences, wherein said topics, associations, and occurrences together define characteristics and relationships existing among the model assets based at least in part on the relationships defined in the industry model and based at least in part on the stored model assets of the business.