6. A computer-implemented method for facilitating review of electronic documents, the method comprising the steps of: (a) displaying on a user interface information relating to a role of the user in reviewing the electronic documents, wherein each electronic document comprises a patent record or specification, a trade mark record or specification, or a design record or specification; (b) enabling the user to enter into the user interface an indication that the role is to be performed by an alternative reviewer, and a first time period that the role is to be performed by the alternative user; and (c) during the first period of time, allowing access to the electronic documents to the alternative user for review and via a display interface associated with the alternative user, wherein allowing access to the electronic documents comprises enabling a display by the user interface associated with the alternative user a visual map of different groups associated with a particular context, the different groups represented by the visual map comprise different business competitors associated with the particular context, the particular context relating to the role within a business context that the user is performing the review, each group is represented by an icon that is proportionately sized to represent a number of items within the group in relation to items within other groups represented by the visual map, and the visual map is configured to present additional information about the items represented by an icon as an overlay on the visual map in response to a user selecting the icon, the additional information comprising at least one of a brief description of a commercial operation of the business competitor associated with the icon, a country of origin of the business competitor associated with the icon, and a number of patent properties of the business competitor associated with the icon that have previously been reviewed and indicated as relevant to the electronic document.
6. A computer-implemented method for facilitating review of electronic documents, the method comprising the steps of: (a) displaying on a user interface information relating to a role of the user in reviewing the electronic documents, wherein each electronic document comprises a patent record or specification, a trade mark record or specification, or a design record or specification; (b) enabling the user to enter into the user interface an indication that the role is to be performed by an alternative reviewer, and a first time period that the role is to be performed by the alternative user; and (c) during the first period of time, allowing access to the electronic documents to the alternative user for review and via a display interface associated with the alternative user, wherein allowing access to the electronic documents comprises enabling a display by the user interface associated with the alternative user a visual map of different groups associated with a particular context, the different groups represented by the visual map comprise different business competitors associated with the particular context, the particular context relating to the role within a business context that the user is performing the review, each group is represented by an icon that is proportionately sized to represent a number of items within the group in relation to items within other groups represented by the visual map, and the visual map is configured to present additional information about the items represented by an icon as an overlay on the visual map in response to a user selecting the icon, the additional information comprising at least one of a brief description of a commercial operation of the business competitor associated with the icon, a country of origin of the business competitor associated with the icon, and a number of patent properties of the business competitor associated with the icon that have previously been reviewed and indicated as relevant to the electronic document. 10. A computer-implemented method according to claim 6 , wherein the role includes a specific type of role in a particular context for the review of the electronic documents.