Abstract: A method and system for computer-assisted analysis of information from a data source employs operators including search terms and filters. A visual representation of a network of operators is generated, the operators being user selectable and linked to form the network, which is configured to analyze information from a selectable data source. The network of operators can be compiled as a unit. If the data source includes a database, the operators are applied to the database, and if the data source includes a data stream, a data unit of the data stream is evaluated with the operators. An output indicator corresponding to each of the operators is generated on the visual representation of the network, wherein the output indicator visually represents a quantified output of a corresponding operator. A further output corresponding to one or more of the output indicators is also generated.

Abstract: The present invention combines a data processing structure with a graphical user interface (GUI) to create an information analysis tool wherein multiple functions are combined in a network to extract information from multiple data sources. The functional network is created, and graphically represented to the user, by linking individual operations together. The combination of individual operations is not limited by the input or output characteristic of any single operation. The form of the input to or output from a by individual operation, whether from a database or from another operation, is the same. That is, both the input to and the output from an analysis function is a list of document identifiers and corresponding document characteristics. Because the form of the input and output from each operation is the same, arbitrary combinations into of operations may be created. Moreover, functional networks of individual operations can then be used for database retrieval as well as to filter data streams.