System and method for recursively traversing the internet and other sources to identify, gather, curate, adjudicate, and qualify business identity and related data

A system and a method used for data discovery in accordance with an inquiry in which multiple sources, which may be web sites or other data sources, are examined for data relevant to the inquiry. The process and method is performed recursively an indeterminate number of iterations, using data and metadata from multiple sources to corroborate discovered data and metadata from other sources, until no further relevant data or sources are found, or adjudication or exception rules have been met. Discovered data and metadata are curated, adjudicated to assess reliability, synthesized, and clustered into composite records using precedence rules and provenance to determine the most reliable data sources as well as terms of use for each source. Data, metadata, and information about each search are retained and can be used for subsequent purposes, such as subsequent searches or other downstream activities.