Making invisible patterns , visible

For team collaboration - there is always a lot of information floating around. Messages, Documents, Alerts, Events , Info about events, Presentations . You get the idea. Generally everything can be stored as a linear list - ordered by creation date or some other scheme. But this does not provide any "chunking" info that is helpful to grouping and classifying information so it is easily understood. Different users may have different ways of grouping the information. But this can lead to anarchy if the information repository is a common repository. What are good "models" to organize the info? a) Use time honored library classification schemes (hierarchical decimal dewey system)? (1-d) b) Index Terms with Concept Maps ? (you are here!) Concept maps can be spacial.. humans easily grasp 2-d views c) Allow people to customize their own grouping or frame slots. I am curious to know if there are any good models to follow here.

I have a hypothesis. All progress depends on making the the invisible visible. As humans it appears that we have to be able to "see" to be able to do something about it; So many people would easily support enivronmental conservation efforts if it was easy to "see" how dirty the air is in some places or how forests are disappearing. People would not have to "imagine" so much. They would be able to "see" it. The same would be true of many "theories" that affect our lives or our future. Is socialism better or capitalism ? This would not be a matter of ideology - but of science if there was a way it could be "shown" that one was better than the other. X-Rays and Catscans improved diagnosis and treatment. They made the "invisible" visible. So an x-ray for the environment , interpersonal relationships, strategies and so on would be nice. You "see" my point?