I looking for advice on behalf of a nonprofit organization based in
Vienna VA. We are working on an online interactive to use as a gateway
to various internet resources. The first page of this website is
envisioned as a visual map that lets users follow something like
hiking trails into topics they are interested in.

Basically, we have brought together a group of artists and scientists
to create a prototype. One of the first tasks is to create a "base
map" showing where each of the project participants is coming from
both geographically and conceptually. This base map is composed of
several layers. The first layer is a cartographic map literally
showing dots on a 2D map of our planet indicating the cities where
each of our board members, consultants, and project participants
reside. Next is a layer showing the history of each person branching
out to previous exhibitions, other places they have lived or worked
etc. You are able to click on any particular person, place, or point
in time to see what is connected.

Next is a discipline map. On one level I have access to an extremely
accurate structure of science based on citations between papers,
funding programs, patents, conference proceedings and other
relationships between work over set periods of time. By putting this
information into an algorithm, the author was able to create a
structure that "puts" mathematics next to computer science, biology
next to health care and basically creates proximities between various
disciplines of science. In general, it looks like lines and dots in
clusters but it makes sense and is interesting to look at even to
non-scientists.

What I am seeking advice for is a corresponding art structure to
"place" the work of the artists in context just like each person can
be a dot on the cartographic map and the scientists can be placed
within the structure of science. This would be a massive overview -
high up. Not various styles of painting broken down into styles but
painting overall, sculpture, performance, music, digital art. Broad
subject matters in fields.

When the envisioned model can be demonstrated, it will serve as a
guide to the great ideas and the best digital content available over
the internet. It will be a new way of looking. However, to complicate
it even further, eventually this structure is also meant to show
endeavors that may not be classified as "major advances" or able to be
connected and mapped as various disciplines within art or science
might be. For example cooking, gardening, war mongering and infinite
other human activities that happen sooner or later in all cultures,
all disciplines, all time periods.

The problem is, when creating the "art side" or even the "all of
humanity's knowledge and expertise" view, too many items are
arbitrarily placed in proximity. These relationships will not be
initially based on facts or statistics as the science structure and
cartographic maps are. That is why I am writing, to see if any readers
can recommend an expert know-it-all or suggest resources to validate
these maps rather than just arbitrarily making them.

Any suggestions are truly appreciated. Thank you.