Taxonomy is the process of categorizing and organizing data, usually for the purpose of making it easier to search and analyze. In the context of text analytics, taxonomies are often used to organize documents or categories of terms.
While taxonomies are often used in the context of text analytics, they can also be applied to other types of data, such as images or products. Taxonomies can be either hierarchical or flat.
hierarchical taxonomy. A system of classification in which items are arranged in order of increasing specificity. In other words, a hierarchical taxonomy is one in which the more general terms are listed first, followed by the more specific terms.
flat taxonomy. A system of classification in which items are not arranged in any particular order. In a flat taxonomy, all terms are considered to be equally specific.
Creating Taxonomy
When creating a taxonomy, it is important to consider the purpose of the taxonomy and the audience that will be using it. For example, if the taxonomy will be used for search purposes, then it is important to use terms that are likely to be used by people who are searching for information. On the other hand, if the taxonomy will be used for analysis purposes, then it is important to use terms that are likely to be used by people who are familiar with the subject matter.
There are many different ways to create a taxonomy. One common method is to start with a list of terms and then group them into categories. Another method is to start with a list of documents and then extract the terms that are most relevant to each document. Yet another method is to start with a set of data and then cluster the items into groups.
Once a taxonomy has been created, it can be used for various purposes, such as search, classification, or recommendation. Taxonomies can also be used to create ontologies, which are used to represent knowledge in a structured way.
Taxonomy is a term that is often used in the text analytics industry, but it can also be used outside of this context. For example, taxonomies are sometimes used in the field of library science to organize books or other materials. In the field of biology, taxonomies are used to classify living things. And in the field of medicine, taxonomies are used to classify diseases.