Method and system for determining olfactory perception signature

A server system for communicating in a matching service for matching members of an online community, the server system comprising:

• a transceiver arranged to receive and transmit information on a communication network;
• and
• a processor arranged to communicate with the transceiver, and perform code instructions, comprising:
• code instructions for receiving from a client computer an olfactory perception signature of a member;
• code instructions for accessing a computer readable database having a plurality of database olfactory perception signatures of other members of the community;
• code instructions for searching said database for a database olfactory perception signature that is similar to said olfactory perception signature of the member;
• and
• code instructions for transmitting to said client computer an indication that a similar database olfactory perception signature has been found.

A method of determining personality trait of a subject, the method comprising:

• providing the subject with a plurality of physical odorant samples for sniffing;
• for each sniffed odorant sample, presenting to the subject, by a user interface, a set of odorant descriptors and a respective set of rating controls, and receiving ratings entered by the subject using said rating controls, each rating being indicative of a descriptiveness of a respective odorant descriptor for said odorant sample, thereby obtaining a set of descriptiveness levels for said odorant sample;
• and
• calculating, by a computer, relations between pairs of sets of descriptiveness levels corresponding to pairs of odorant samples, to provide a vector of relations, said vector representing the olfactory perception signature of the subject;
• accessing a computer readable database, each entry of said database having a database olfactory perception signature and annotation information pertaining to a personality trait;
• searching said database for a database olfactory perception signature that is similar to said olfactory perception signature of the subject;
• extracting from the database annotation information associated with said similar database olfactory perception signature;
• and
• generating an output indicative of a respective personality trait.