System and method for enabling a user to search and retrieve individual topics in a visual mapping system

A visual mapping system comprising:

• a client computer with a client visual mapping application that provides an interface through which a user can view, edit, and create visual maps and through which a user can enter search criteria to search for one or more topics;
• a database for storing topics in visual maps, where the topics are stored individually;
• and
• a server, connected via a network to the client computer, for storing topics in the database individually, for initiating searches for topics in response to receiving search criteria from the client visual mapping application, and for retrieving topics in the database and sending topics to the visual mapping application.

A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium and comprising code, that, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to perform the following method:

• receiving topics created in a visual mapping system;
• storing the created topics individually in a database, where each of the created topics is stored in a manner that enables the topic to be separately retrieved, viewed, and edited;
• maintaining an index of all topics in the database;
• in response to receiving an edit to a topic in the database, updating the data for the topic in the database;
• receiving search criteria for topics in the database from a client visual mapping application;
• searching the index for individual topics in the database that match the search criteria;
• sending a list of topics matching the search criteria to the client visual mapping application;
• receiving a request to retrieve one or more of the topics from the list from the client visual mapping application;
• and
• sending the requested topics to the client visual mapping application.