Topic mapping

In reading through the discussion thus far, I wonder if there is something in the field of topic mapping that could serve as a metaphor or structure for Visual Language.

It seems to me that one of the goals of visual language is to promote experiential discovery and conversation. Could visual language + topic mapping yield an interesting result? Anyone have any insights on this one?

I've heard Jack Park speak on topic mapping as a way of taking stories and relating key concepts together, or being able to link disparate stories across cultures based on similar themes. They seem very link oriented.