The Google Knowledge Graph

Google is getting smarter! No, really.

We previously addressed how Google’s Voice Search is evolving and changing the landscape of semantic search, but we’ve yet to talk about the Google Knowledge Graph.

What is the Google Knowledge Graph?

The Google Knowledge Graph is the panel that appears on the right side of your results screen when you enter a search query on Google. It contains enhanced information for the search you’ve just performed. For example, if I perform a search regarding legendary women’s soccer player Abby Wambach, my search results will include a Knowledge Graph that shows a compilation of graphics and a summary of basic information about Abby along with suggestions for correlated search topics (see screenshot).

Google first introduced the Knowledge Graph in 2012 with the objective of providing more comprehensive information on individual brands, public figures, and countries.

As Google evolves and finds ways for its search engine to understand more complex questions (which entails understanding the intent behind the questions and queries), it hopes to use the Knowledge Graph to present the most relevant facts that will help give the searcher a meaningful and useful answer.

In a recent interview, Google’s Satyajeet Salgar explained exactly how Google is evolving to understand more complex questions.

Google can now understand superlatives. This means you can ask Google things like: “What is the longest subway line in New York?” and get an immediate answer either through Google Now or the Knowledge Graph.

Google can also now understand questions regarding a specific point in time. It can answer questions like “Who won the 1986 World Series,” (though we already have the answer to that one burned into our memories).

But Google hasn’t stopped there; as mentioned above, Google has gotten better at understanding complex questions. What does this translate into in practical terms? It means you can ask questions like “Who was President when the Jets won the Super Bowl?” Google can now provide the correct answers to questions that require more than a keyword match on your search phrase.