User interface for visualizing search data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11416535-B2
Application number	US-201916378198-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2019
Priority date	Apr 20, 2018
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

A user interface (UI) for visualizing search data provides techniques for grouping and organizing aggregate data that shows the categories of topics included in search queries from a large number of individual users. Raw search queries are categorized into one of a number of topical categories. The search queries are assigned to a geographic location based on geolocations of computing devices generating the search queries. The UI presents a map that shows the number of search queries per topical category for each geographic location displayed in the current UI view. As a result of this UI design, a user can easily understand the interaction between geographic location and frequency of search query topics. Trends in the geographic distribution of searches and in the categories of topics searched are also easily understood from this UI design by changing the time range of the search queries displayed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for classifying and visualizing search queries based on geolocation, the system comprising:
one or more processing units; and
memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the system to perform acts comprising:
receiving a plurality of raw search queries including query contents and geolocations;
generating word embeddings for the plurality of raw search queries;
classifying the plurality of raw search queries into one of a plurality of categories based on the query contents and the word embeddings;
determining a number of raw search queries for a plurality of geographic regions for respective ones of the plurality of categories based on results of the classifying and the geolocations;
receiving a selection of a single category of the plurality of categories;
determining a first percentage of search queries in the single category out of all the plurality of categories for all of a first set of geographic regions;
generating a user interface (UI) containing the first set of geographic regions, wherein for individual ones of the plurality of geographic regions included in the first set of geographic regions, a difference between a percentage of searches in the single category for each geographic region in the first set of geographic regions relative to the first percentage of search queries in the single category is indicated by a visual characteristic assigned to the individual ones of the first set of geographic regions;
modifying the UI by changing a zoom level of the UI to show a second set of geographic regions in the UI;
determining a second percentage of search queries in the single category out of all the plurality of categories for the second set of geographic regions; and
modifying the UI containing the second set of geographic regions, wherein for individual ones of the second set of geographic regions, a difference between a percentage of searches in the single category for each geographic region in the second set of geographic regions relative to the second percentage of search queries in the single category for the second set of geographic regions is indicated by a visual characteristic assigned to the individual ones of the second set of geographic regions.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the raw search queries comprise job search queries and the plurality of categories comprise job categories.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising modifying the UI by applying a filter which removes data values for the geographic regions represented in the UI based on a criterion of the filter, wherein the criterion of the filter comprises a socio-economic dimension of the geographic regions represented in the UI.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the raw search queries comprise Internet searches and the geolocations are determined by reverse Internet protocol (IP) lookup.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the raw search queries further include timestamps and the UI displays a change over time of the frequency of raw search queries per respective ones of the plurality of categories.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the UI comprises a map including at least a subset of the plurality of geographic regions.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the plurality of raw search queries occurs in substantially real-time as the raw search queries are generated and the UI is updated substantially in real-time.

8. A method for classifying and visualizing search queries based on geolocation, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of raw search queries including query contents and geolocations;
generating word embeddings for the plurality of raw search queries;
classifying the plurality of raw search queries into one of a plurality of categories based on the query contents and the word embeddings;
determining a number of raw search queries for a plurality of geographic regions for respective ones of the plurality of categories based on results of the classifying and the geolocations;
receiving a selection of a single category of the plurality of categories;
determining a first percentage of search queries in the single category out of all the plurality of categories for all of a first set of geographic regions;
generating a user interface (UI) containing the first set of geographic regions, wherein for individual ones of the plurality of geographic regions included in the first set of geographic regions, a difference between a percentage of searches in the single category for each geographic region in the first set of geographic regions relative to the first percentage of search queries in the single category is indicated by a visual characteristic assigned to the individual ones of the first set of geographic regions;
modifying the UI by changing a zoom level of the UI to show a second set of geographic regions in the UI;
determining a second percentage of search queries in the single category out of all the plurality of categories for the second set of geographic regions; and
modifying the UI containing the second set of geographic regions, wherein for individual ones of the second set of geographic regions, a difference between a percentage of searches in the single category for each geographic region in the second set of geographic regions relative to the second percentage of search queries in the single category for the second set of geographic regions is indicated by a visual characteristic assigned to the individual ones of the second set of geographic regions.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the raw search queries comprise job search queries and the plurality of categories comprise job categories.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising modifying the UI by applying a filter which removes data values for the geographic regions represented in the UI based on a criterion of the filter, wherein the criterion of the filter comprises a socio-economic dimension of the geographic regions represented in the UI.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the raw search queries comprise Internet searches and the geolocations are determined by reverse Internet protocol (IP) lookup.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the raw search queries further include timestamps and the UI displays a change over time of the frequency of raw search queries per respective ones of the plurality of categories.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the UI comprises a map including at least a subset of the plurality of geographic regions.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein receiving the plurality of raw search queries occurs in substantially real-time as the raw search queries are generated and the UI is updated substantially in real-time.

15. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processing units, cause the one or more processing units to perform acts comprising:
receiving a plurality of raw search queries including query contents and geolocations;
generating word embeddings for the plurality of raw search queries;
classifying the plurality of raw search queries into one of a plurality of categories based on the query contents and the word embeddings;
determining a number of raw search queries for a plurality of geographic regions for respective ones of the plurality of categories based on results of the classifying and the geolocations;
receiving a selection of a single category of the plurality of categories;
determining a first percentage of search queries in the single category out of all the plurality of categories for all

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Counts Scott
• Moeur Roberta R
• Von Veh Curtis N
• Cranshaw Justin Brooks
• Chancellor Stevie Nicole
• Carbary Anthony

Classifications

• G06F18/2431

  Multiple classes · CPC title

• G06N3/09

  Supervised learning · CPC title

• G06N3/0499

  Feedforward networks · CPC title

• G06N3/08

  Learning methods · CPC title

• G06F16/9537

  Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries · CPC title