Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media that may be used to provide bid adjustment recommendations for budget-constrained content campaigns are provided. One method includes identifying a content campaign eligible for each of a plurality of auctions that was excluded from at least some of the auctions based on a budget constraint. The method further includes simulating the auctions using one or more adjusted bid values and generating estimated results for the adjusted bid values based on the simulated auctions. The method further includes determining at least one adjusted bid value that is estimated to result in at least one of the following: (1) increased clicks under substantially the same budget constraint; (2) increased clicks at substantially the same total cost; or (3) decreased cost with substantially the same number of clicks. The method further includes providing at least one recommendation to adopt the at least one adjusted bid value.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media that may be used to generate competitor-specific bidding recommendations are provided. One method includes identifying, at a computerized analysis system, at least one competitor of a content provider within a plurality of content auctions for displaying content items. The method further includes calculating, at the analysis system, at least one bidding action estimated to improve performance of the content provider in future content auctions with respect to the at least one competitor from a current level to a goal level of the performance metric. The method further includes providing a recommendation to the content provider to implement the at least one bidding action.

Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying competitors using content extensions in content items in content items associated with their content placement campaigns are described. A processor identifies one or more competing entities from auctions in which the first entity places a bid. The competing entities are associated with content items having a first type of content extension that received impressions in at least one identified auction. The processor computes an overlap rate based on a number of auctions in which both a content item having the first type of content extension of the identified competing entity and a content item of the first entity received impressions and a number of auctions in which a content item having the first type of content extension of the identified competing entity received an impression and the first entity competed. The processor ranks the competing entities based on the computed overlap rate.

Abstract: Experiment performance data associated with a first advertisement campaign is generated during a first advertisement campaign experiment. The experiment performance data includes a first set of experiment performance data and a second set of experiment performance data. A first set of simulated performance data for the first advertisement campaign using first set of auction instances with the advertisement campaign setting having second advertisement campaign value is generated. A second set of simulated performance data for the first advertisement campaign using the second set of auctions instances with the advertisement campaign setting having the first advertisement campaign value is generated. Accuracy of the first set of performance data and the second set of performance data is determined by comparing the first performance data to the second set of experiment performance data, and by comparing the second performance data to the first set of experiment performance data.

Abstract: A system and method for tagging place names with geographic location coordinates, the place names associated with a collection of objects in a memory of a computer system. The system and method process a text string within an object stored in memory to identify a first potential place name. The system and method determine whether geographic location coordinates are known for the first potential place name. The system and method identify the first potential place name associated with an object in the memory as a place name. The system and method tag the first identified place name associated with an object in the memory with its geographic location coordinates, when the geographic location coordinates for the first identified place name are known. The system and method disambiguate place names when multiple place names are found.

Abstract: A system and method for resolving ambiguities in date values associated with an attribute in a memory of the computer system. If a first text string conforms to one or more date formats, a confidence value is assigned for each of the date formats for the first text string based on the amount of specificity with which the first text string conforms to each date format. Similarly, if a second text string conforms to one or more date formats, a confidence value is assigned for each of the date formats for the second text string based on the amount of specificity with which the second text string conforms to each date format. The date format with the highest confidence value for the first text string and the date format with the highest confidence value for the second text string are merged to obtain a date value for the attribute.

Abstract: A repository contains objects including facts about entities. Objects may be of known or unknown entity type. An entity type assignment engine assigns entity types to objects of unknown entity type. A feature generation module generates a set of features describing the facts included with each object in the repository. An entity type model module generates an entity type model based on the sets of features generated for a subset of objects. An entity type model module generates entity type models, such as a classifier or generative models, based on the sets of features associated with objects of known entity type. An entity type assignment module generates a value based on the sets of features associated with an object of unknown entity type and the entity type model. This value indicates whether the object of unknown entity type is of a known entity type. An object update module stores the object to which the known entity type was assigned in the repository in association with the assigned entity type.

Abstract: A repository contains objects including facts about entities. Some objects might be associated with the same entity. An object merge engine identifies a set of merge candidate objects. A grouping module groups the merge candidate objects based on the values of facts included in the objects. An object comparison module compares pairs of objects in each group to identify evidence for and/or against merging the pair. Evidence for merging the pair exists if, e.g., the objects have a type in common or share an uncommon fact. Evidence against merging the pair exists if, e.g., the objects have differing singleton attributes. A graph generation module generates graphs describing the evidence for and/or against merging the pair. A merging module analyzes the graphs and merges objects associated with the same entity. The merged objects are stored in the repository.

Abstract: Embodiments retrieve a set of search results that have been previously identified as having at least one associated date or location. A timeline or map is displayed that visually represents the distribution of the dates or locations within the results. The timeline is displayed with a histogram graph corresponding to the number of dates in the search results at points along the timeline. The map is displayed with markers at the locations corresponding to the locations in the search results. The user can navigate the result set using the displayed timeline or map.

Abstract: A fact repository stores objects. Each object includes a collection of facts, where a fact comprises an attribute and a value. A set of objects from the fact repository are designated for analysis. The presentation engine presents the facts of the objects in a user interface (UI) having a table. Through manipulation of the UI, an end-user can add or remove facts from the table, and sort the table based on the values of particular facts. The presentation engine also presents the facts of the objects in a UI having a graph. Through manipulation of the UI, the end-user can add or remove facts from the graph, and can sort the facts shown in the graph based on values that are shown, or not shown, in the graph. The presentation engine can further present the facts of the objects in UIs including maps and timelines.

Abstract: A fact repository stores objects. Each object includes a collection of facts, where a fact comprises an attribute and a value. A set of objects from the fact repository are designated for analysis. The presentation engine presents the facts of the objects in a user interface (UI) having a table. Through manipulation of the UI, an end-user can add or remove facts from the table, and sort the table based on the values of particular facts. The presentation engine also presents the facts of the objects in a UI having a graph. Through manipulation of the UI, the end-user can add or remove facts from the graph, and can sort the facts shown in the graph based on values that are shown, or not shown, in the graph. The presentation engine can further present the facts of the objects in UIs including maps and timelines.

Abstract: A presentation engine presents facts in a UI having a graph. Through manipulation of the UI, an end-user can add or remove facts from the graph, and can sort the facts shown in the graph based on values that are shown, or not shown, in the graph. The presentation engine determines a graph type that best facilitates interpretation of the facts by the end-user and automatically creates a graph of that type. Possible graph types include bar graphs, scatter plots, timelines, and maps.

Abstract: A fact repository stores objects. Each object includes a collection of facts, where a fact comprises an attribute and a value. An object access module receives objects from the fact repository. The objects can result from multiple different queries executed against the fact repository. A user interface (UI) generation module provides a UI enabling an end-user to designate objects from multiple different queries for subsequent analysis by storing the objects in a virtual collection.