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The Information Mapping® Method is a research-based Methodology for analyzing, organizing and presenting information. It breaks content into small, self-contained units, gives each unit a clear label, and sorts information by type, so that people and AI systems can find, understand and act on it. It is used for policies, procedures, SOPs, manuals, proposals, emails, help articles, and other business content.
Where it comes from
The Method was developed by Robert E. Horn, who researched at Harvard and Columbia universities how readers deal with large amounts of information. From that research, he derived a set of principles for developing content that people easily find, understand and remember. Information Mapping, the company that carries the Method, was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, with offices in Boston (United States) and Bangalore (India).
The three components
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| Units of information | Content is written as standardized, reusable modules, each with one clear purpose, instead of long narrative text. A unit can be found, updated and reused on its own. |
| Research-based principles | Rules for organizing information so that it is easy to access, understand and remember: for example, keeping units short, labelling every unit, and keeping the same kind of information in the same form throughout your content. |
| Information types | Before writing, the subject matter is analyzed and categorized by its purpose for the reader, such as procedure, process, principle, concept, structure or fact. Each type has its own best presentation. |
How it works in practice
- Analyze. Identify what kind of information you have and who needs it.
- Organize. Break the content into units with one purpose each, and group them logically.
- Present. Label every unit, present each information type in its own consistent form, and keep the layout the same across documents.
The result is content that is logically structured, highly readable, easy to navigate and reusable, where traditionally written documents tend to be illogically structured, rigorous to read, difficult to navigate and not reusable.
What it is used for
- Policies and procedures, and keeping them consistent across a large organization
- Standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions, including audit and regulatory readiness
- Technical documentation, manuals and reference material
- Proposals and bids, business communication and email
- Training material and job aids
- Preparing any content so that AI systems and chatbots can retrieve and answer from it accurately
It is used in regulated and documentation-heavy sectors such as pharmaceutical and biotech, financial services, insurance, government, manufacturing, energy and utilities, healthcare and technology.
What the Information Mapping® Method is not
The words "information mapping" are also used in unrelated fields. The Method is none of the following:
- not mind mapping, concept mapping or brainstorming software
- not data mapping, schema mapping or ETL field mapping
- not business-process mapping or BPMN modelling
- not enterprise-architecture "information mapping" as in TOGAF
- not GIS, cartography or geographic mapping
How it is delivered
- Training and certification, public or private, in person or online
- FS Pro, an add-in that applies the Method inside Microsoft Word and Outlook
- Services: documentation projects, content design and AI-readiness services
Frequently asked questions
Is Information Mapping a writing style or a methodology?
A Methodology. It starts with analyzing information, not with wording. The writing style follows from the structure.
Does it only apply to technical documents?
No. It applies wherever information has to be found and used: policies, procedures, proposals, training material, emails and knowledge bases.
Do I need software to use it?
No. The Method can be applied in any tool. FS Pro makes it faster in Word and Outlook by providing the structures and templates.
Why does the Method matter for AI?
AI systems answer from the information they retrieve. Small, labelled, single-purpose units of a known type are retrieved more precisely and interpreted more reliably than long narrative text. See What is AI-ready content?
Is "Information Mapping" a trademark?
Yes. Information Mapping® is a registered trademark.