IDENTIFYING A SUBSET OF NETWORK RELATIONSHIPS BASED ON DATA RECEIVED FROM EXTERNAL DATA SOURCES

摘要

Techniques are provided for determining which entities, in a population of entities, is most like a given entity. In the context of companies, the techniques involve constructing a peer network graph based on company-to-company relationship data. Once the graph is constructed, the weights of the edges are determined, and values for the paths are determined based on the edge weights. Peer connection scores are generated for a particular company based on the number and values of the paths between the node that represents the company and the nodes that represent other companies. Based on the peer connection scores between the particular company and other companies, a subset of the other companies are selected as members of a peer group for the company.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
constructing within volatile memory of a computing device, using digitally programmed logic that transforms the computing device into a special-purpose computing device, a peer network graph based on company-to-company relationship data; wherein, within the volatile memory of the special-purpose computing device, the peer network graph includes nodes that correspond to companies, and edges that represent relationships between companies; executing the digitally programmed logic, using one or more processors of the special-purpose computing device, to determine weights of the edges in the peer network graph; wherein, within the volatile memory of the special-purpose computing device, the edges are directional; wherein, within the volatile memory of the special-purpose computing device, the peer network graph includes a particular node that represents a particular company, and a node for each of a plurality of other companies; wherein, within the volatile memory of the special-purpose computing device, the peer network graph includes a first edge from a first node to the particular node; wherein, within the volatile memory of the special-purpose computing device, the first node represents a first company; wherein constructing the peer network graph includes executing the digitally programmed logic, using the one or more processors of the special-purpose computing device, to create the first edge in response to detecting, within the company-to-company relationship data, information that indicates that the first company indicated that the particular company is a peer of the first company; wherein, within the volatile memory of the special-purpose computing device, the peer network graph includes a second edge from the particular node to a second node; wherein, within the volatile memory of the special-purpose computing device, the second node represents a second company; wherein constructing the peer network graph includes executing the digitally programmed logic, using the one or more processors of the special-purpose computing device, to create the second edge in response to detecting, within the company-to-company relationship data, information that indicates that the particular company indicated that the second company is a peer of the particular company; executing the digitally programmed logic, using the one or more processors of the special-purpose computing device, to generate a peer connection score between the particular company and each company of the plurality of other companies by performing the following steps for each company of the plurality of other companies:
based on the weights of the edges, determining values for paths between the particular node and the node that represents the other company; andbased on the values of the paths between the particular node and the node that represents the other company, generating the peer connection score between the particular company and the other company; executing the digitally programmed logic, using the one or more processors of the special-purpose computing device, to select, based on the peer connection scores between the particular company and the plurality of other companies, a subset of said plurality of other companies as members of a peer group for the particular company; wherein the subset does not contain all of the companies that, within the company-to-company relationship data, the particular company indicated were peers of the particular company.