What are the Google search query categories?

[pavlovapete]

In a recent paper Google economist Hal Varian talked about Google categories used for predicting trends.

Google classifies search queries into 27 categories at the top level and 241 categories at the second level using an automated classification engine.

[google.com...]

I've seen categories in the Search-based Keyword Tool and categories in the Interest based advertising preferences.

Do you know of any others - or the 27/241 categories that Varian refers to?

Thanks

[edited by: tedster at 2:20 am (utc) on May 26, 2009]
[edit reason] add quote box [/edit]

[pavlovapete]

I found it at the Google Insights for Search page.

Thanks

[Robert Charlton]

Here's the page that links to the pdf...

Official Google Research Blog: Predicting the Present with Google Trends
Thursday, April 02, 2009 at 4/02/2009 02:10:00 PM
Posted by Hal Varian, Chief Economist and Hyunyoung Choi, Decision Support Engineering Analyst

[googleresearch.blogspot.com...]

Here's the "Google Insights for Search" page, with a dropdown box listing the 27 categories available for searching in Insights....

See what the world is searching for
[google.com...]

[tedster]

For purpose of easy reference, here's the 27 categories:

Arts & Humanities
Automotive
Beauty & Personal Care
Business
Computers & Electronics
Entertainment
Finance & Insurance
Food & Drink
Games
Health
Home & Garden
Industries
Internet
Lifestyles
Local
News & Current Events
Online Communities
Photo & Video
Real Estate
Recreation
Reference
Science
Shopping
Society
Sports
Telecommunications
Travel

There are significant difference from, say, the DMOZ and Google Directory taxonomy.

[pavlovapete]

Thank you gentlemen.

I used Firebug and got the lot and will spend a happy evening deciphering and organising the taxonomy.

It is remarkable. As I understand it they are categorising new queries on-the-fly into a number of categories (or probability of being related to a category)

I'd like to know the process for taking a new word and gradually determining what category it belongs to.

And I guess this sort of thing helps "understand" what a website is about. And if it is on-topic or a hodge podge of content.

This taxonomy is fascinating on so many fronts.

Cheers