The essential elements

SHIVA is a knowledge organisation and information analysis software package. Based on web-oriented technologies (JavaScript, HTML5, CSS, etc.) and relying on well-documented Open Source libraries, it is organised around the proprietary FreeDataMap code.

The tool is intended primarily for the community of researchers, students and practitioners working in various disciplines related to the organisation of complex information (OSINT, Taxonomy and Classification, Fact-checking, Due Diligence, etc.). However, it can also be used to advantage by all interested Knowledge Workers. It is an effective teaching tool for training in knowledge management and document organisation in the context of business intelligence, information analysis, asset mapping, etc.

The initial version of SHIVA is accessible to all, with no functional limitations. Future COMMUNITY versions will be freely available for non-commercial, educational or academic use. A PRO version incorporating advanced process management and web publishing functionalities is currently being studied.

SHIVA can be used in the same way via any browser or using an executable version for Windows (32/64 bits). It can therefore be made available to a wider community or be used for work on more confidential media. A version for MacOS is currently being tested, but the code can be compiled for all operating systems (under ElectronJS).

Representing information in a tree structure to reduce complexity is almost as old as the printed page itself. For readers who would like to know more, we recommend the remarkable book The Book of Trees: Visualizing Branches of Knowledge, by Manuel LIMA.

The visual representation of knowledge in the form of trees starting from a central node is now familiar thanks to the many mind mapping tools available. It is used in education and business for diagramming, presentation and task management purposes.

SHIVA aims to go further than current tools by offering other possibilities:

• It can represent a much larger number of entities than most traditional mindmapping software, which often struggles to manage vast tree structures. It also allows you to create numerous cross-disciplinary links, so you can move quickly from one point in the map to another. You can also apply a large number of visual symbols to each node, giving you a qualitative view of the information at a glance.

•     It can dynamically generate structures from information extracted from regularly updated Internet sources (Wikipedia, for example, which is already integrated into the tool).

•     It can create tree structures from structured data (.csv, .json, .ris etc...) to visually sort the information contained in a database or table and highlight indicators.

•     It automatically generates visual statistical indicators that can be displayed in an information pane, creating a dashboard of the data processed. These indicators are included in reports exported in Open Document format.

•     It can generate random trees from a list of vocabulary entered by the user, and then authorise the user to generate complex queries to various search engines.

   

SHIVA is capable of exporting tree structures and all enrichments in a wide range of office formats, and in particular as a structured document in Open Document format (readable in Microsoft Word and Open Office). It also exports in Mindmapping formats (freemind and freeplane) and in CSV format.

SHIVA adds a geographical dimension to the visual management of information in the form of a tree structure. It adds a cartographic layer for locating nodes in an Open Street Map. Mapping onto static cartographic backgrounds (building plans, maps in image format, organisation charts, etc.) is currently under development.

We invite you to take a look at the many demonstration maps and the multimedia tutorial to get an idea of SHIVA's capabilities and how it could help you with your knowledge management and information analysis tasks.