Systems and methods for analyzing policymaker influence

Abstract

An Internet-based agenda data analysis system may include at least one processor configured to maintain a list of user-selectable agenda issues, present to a user via a user interface, the list of user-selectable agenda issues, and receive via the user interface, based on a selection from the list, agenda issues of interest to an organization. The processor may be configured to access information scraped from the Internet to determine, for a plurality of policymakers, individual policymaker data from which an alignment position of each policymaker on each of the agenda issues is determinable, calculate alignment position data from the individual policymaker data, the alignment position data corresponding to relative positions of each of the plurality of policymakers on each of the plurality of selected issues, and transform the alignment position data into a graphical display that presents the alignment positions of multiple policymakers.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . An Internet-based agenda data analysis system, the system comprising:
 at least one processor configured to:   maintain a list of user-selectable agenda issues;   present to a user via a user interface, the list of user-selectable agenda issues, wherein each of the listed user-selectable agenda issues is configured to be selected by the user via input received from the user;   receive via the user interface, based on the input received from the user, agenda issues of interest to an organization, the agenda issues having been selected from the list of user-selectable agenda issues;   access information scraped from the Internet to determine, for a plurality of policymakers, individual policymaker data from which an influence factor of each policymaker on each of the agenda issues selected as being of interest to the organization is determinable;   calculate an influence factor model using the individual policymaker data, the influence factor model producing influence factor data corresponding to relative influence factors of each of the plurality of policymakers on each of the plurality of selected agenda issues selected as being of interest to the organization, the influence factor data comprising a measure of how likely each of the plurality of policymakers is to affect the position of each of the plurality of policymakers on each of the plurality of selected agenda issues, the position comprising a stance or political position of a policymaker on the selected agenda issues, and not an indicator of an outcome of a particular policymaking; and   transform the influence factor data into a graphical display that presents the influence factors of multiple policymakers on each of the agenda issues selected as being of interest to the organization.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive via the user interface, an indication of the at least one influence factor of the at least one of the plurality of policymakers on each selected issue. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive via the user interface, an indication of the organization's position on each selected issue. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to predict an indication of the organization's position on each selected issue. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to present to the user at least one control to adjust weighting of each user-selected agenda issue, wherein the weighting is based on an overall stance of the organization related to the agenda issue. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to calculate a confidence score for the organization's predicted position. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the graphical display includes influence factor coordinates displayed in graphical form, and each displayed coordinate represents a single policymaker's influence factor on a single issue. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the graphical display includes alignment position coordinates displayed in graphical form, the alignment position coordinates comprising a measure of how each of the plurality of policymakers is oriented relative to the organization's position. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured, after the influence factor coordinates are displayed in graphical form, to adjust relative positions of the coordinates based on subsequent user manipulation of the at least one weighting control. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured, after the influence factor coordinates are displayed in graphical form, to subsequently access updated individual policymaker data, and to adjust relative positions of the coordinates based on updated individual policymaker data. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to update the influence factor model with the updated individual policymaker data of the at least one influence factor of the at least one of the plurality of policymakers. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 27 , wherein each displayed coordinate is interactive, enabling a user who engages with the coordinate to view policymaker information. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the policymaker information includes at least one of voting history information of each of the legislators and party affiliation of each of the legislators. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the policymaker information includes at least one of regulation information of each of the regulators or government officials and party affiliation of each of the regulators or government officials. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the agenda issues include legislative agenda issues, and the plurality of policymakers include legislators. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the agenda issues include regulatory agenda issues, and the plurality of policymakers include regulators or government officials. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the agenda issues related to one or more government bodies. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the influence factor of each policymaker represents an extent or magnitude to which the policymaker will affect a position of other policymakers. 
     
     
         39 . An Internet-based agenda data analysis method, the method comprising:
 maintaining a list of user-selectable agenda issues;   presenting to a user via a user interface, the list of user-selectable agenda issues, wherein each of the listed user-selectable agenda issues is configured to be selected by the user via input received from the user;   receiving via the user interface, based on the input received from the user, agenda issues of interest to an organization, the agenda issues having been selected from the list of user-selectable agenda issues;   accessing information scraped from the Internet to determine, for a plurality of policymakers, individual policymaker data from which an influence factor of each policymaker on each of the agenda issues selected as being of interest to the organization is determinable;   calculating an influence factor model using the individual policymaker data, the influence factor model producing influence factor data corresponding to relative influence factors of each of the plurality of policymakers on each of the plurality of selected agenda issues selected as being of interest to the organization, the influence factor data comprising a measure of how likely each of the plurality of policymakers is to affect the position of each of the plurality of policymakers on each of the plurality of selected agenda issues, the position comprising a stance or political position of a policymaker on the selected agenda issues, and not an indicator of an outcome of a particular policymaking; and   transforming the influence factor data into a graphical display that presents the influence factors of multiple policymakers on each of the agenda issues selected as being of interest to the organization.   
     
     
         40 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations including:
 maintaining a list of user-selectable agenda issues;   presenting to a user via a user interface, the list of user-selectable agenda issues, wherein each of the listed user-selectable agenda issues is configured to be selected by the user via input received from the user;   receiving via the user interface, based on the input received from the user, agenda issues of interest to an organization, the agenda issues having been selected from the list of user-selectable agenda issues;   accessing information scraped from the Internet to determine, for a plurality of policymakers, individual policymaker data from which an influence factor of each policymaker on each of the agenda issues selected as being of interest to the organization is determinable;   calculating an influence factor model using the individual policymaker data, the influence factor model producing influence factor data corresponding to relative influence factors of each of the plurality of policymakers on each of the plurality of selected agenda issues selected as being of interest to the organization, the influence factor data comprising a measure of how likely each of the plurality of policymakers is to affect the position of each of the plurality of policymakers on each of the plurality of selected agenda issues, the position comprising a stance or political position of a policymaker on the selected agenda issues, and not an indicator of an outcome of a particular policymaking; and   transforming the influence factor data into a graphical display that presents the influence factors of multiple policymakers on each of the agenda issues selected as being of interest to the organization.