What Are Taxonomies and How Should They Be Used?

The ability to extrapolate and analyse data depends on relevant information being readily available and easy to find. 

A systematic search system that delivers a coherent structure and index for your business’s data is essential – which is why information taxonomies offer significant benefits that can make your organisation more efficient and productive.

What Are Data Taxonomies?

In botany and biology, a taxonomy is a way of identifying, describing, and classifying living things, including animals, microorganisms, and plants. 

The system has been used since the 16th century when explorers began to collect species of animals and plants during expeditions and needed an effective way to organise their findings. Nearly 9 million species are known to exist today, so taxonomies provide an effective way to categorise them efficiently.

In the digital world, a taxonomy is a content management system that categorises information according to given terms, known as metadata. In the same way that scientists organise animals and plants according to logical associations and relationships, digital taxonomies make connections between information items to improve their storage and retrieval, and to support effective analysis.

Why Should You Use Taxonomies?

Taxonomies are used for many purposes as part of information management, with some common benefits including:

• Categorising and organising content more logically to eradicate poorly structured data silos.
• Improving the speed and accuracy of searches by making content more easily retrievable.
• Identifying associations between content to make searches more encompassing and relevant.
• Reducing the time spent managing and organising content.
• Delivering a better user experience when searching and analysing data.
• Managing and tracking content lifecycles.
• Accelerate Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects and improve outcomes.

In essence, a taxonomy delivers the foundations for consistent and accurate metadata. By investing in quality content management, a business can use taxonomies to achieve greater efficiency and lower costs when integrating applications, creating a website design, or devising knowledge management.

Contact Us To Find Out More

At Flare Solutions, we have over 20 years of experience developing dynamic taxonomies for businesses. 

To find out more, please download our free guide to taxonomies, or call us today on 02033977766.