Web-based content organization and the transformation of traditional classification systems

Traditional hierarchical classification systems were designed to optimize the management, findability and use of physical collections of objects. But as more and more collections of objects are being accessed and used on the Web, these predominant classification models have been modified by facetted taxonomies with semantic relationships. The diverse uses of information require specialized classification strategies that reach beyond simple use cases. The ubiquity of web search engines and hypertext is also leading to new interest in labelling and describing named entities. This paper discusses these developments and provides examples for their utility in a variety of organizations, profit and non-profit.