Document data analysis apparatus, method of document data analysis, computer readable medium and computer data signal

A method of document data analysis comprising:

• receiving an analysis condition comprising at least one of a document search condition and a specification of a seed document group based on at least a search key word and a bibliographic condition, the seed document group being a seed of an active propagation process;
• accessing a database storing a plurality of groups in which a citation relationship is defined, each of the plurality of document groups comprising a plurality of documents;
• determining an initial active value of each of the plurality of documents based on the analysis condition;
• executing the active propagation process based on the initial active value and a plurality of citation relationships by evaluating concurrently a first and second groups of documents per each document of the seed document group, the first group of documents associated with a document of the seed document group as the cited document, and the second group of documents associated with the document of the seed document group as the citing document and updating the seed document group based on the evaluation;
• and
• outputting a result of the active propagation to a display,
• wherein the outputting step outputs the result so that the display displays an icon for each of the plurality of documents in the equilibrium result of the active propagating process, a size of the icons varies depending on the equilibrium result for each of the plurality of documents in the equilibrium result.

A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for analyzing a relationship between a plurality of document groups in which a citation relationship is defined, each of the plurality of document groups comprising a plurality of documents:

• receiving an analysis condition comprising at least one of a document search condition and a specification of a seed document group based on at least a search key word and a bibliographic condition, the seed document group being a seed of an active propagation process;
• accessing a database storing the plurality of document groups in which a citation relationship is defined, each of the plurality of document groups comprising a plurality of documents;
• determining an initial active value of each of the plurality of documents based on the analysis condition;
• executing the active propagation process based on the initial active value and a plurality of citation relationships by evaluating concurrently a first and second groups of documents per each document of the seed document group, the first group of documents associated with a document of the seed document group as the cited document, and the second group of documents associated with the document of the seed document group as the citing document and updating the seed document group based on the evaluation;
• and
• outputting a result of the active propagation to a display,
• wherein the outputting step outputs the result so that the display displays an icon for each of the plurality of documents in the equilibrium result of the active propagating process, a size of the icons varies depending on the equilibrium result for each of the plurality of documents in the equilibrium result.