topic maps: theory & practice

1IBERSID 2007, Zaragoza, Spain. Copyright CC 2.0 InfoPlex Associates, 2007

XML Topic Maps (XTM): Theory & Practice

Bob BaterBob BaterInfoPlex Associates, Bristol UKInfoPlex Associates, Bristol UK

Topic Maps: Theory & PracticeTopic Maps: Theory & Practice

“Topic maps are a new ISO standard for describing knowledge structures and associating them with information resources.”

“Topic maps are a new ISO standard for describing knowledge structures and associating them with information resources.”

{Steve Pepper. The TAO of Topic Maps:{Steve Pepper. The TAO of Topic Maps:http://www.ontopia.net/topicmaps/materials/http://www.ontopia.net/topicmaps/materials/tao.html}tao.html}


XTM 1.0

XTM 1.0 is an open, high-level framework …

… for representing relationships among connected information objects

<topic id=“livingthing”><baseName>

<baseNameString>Living Thing</baseNameString><baseName>

</topic><topic id=“animal”>

<baseName><baseNameString>Animal</baseNameString>

<baseName></topic><association id=“animalIsA”>

<instanceOf><topicRef xlink:href=“#isA”/>

</instanceOf><member>

<topicRef xlink:href=“#animal”/></member><member>

<topicRef xlink:href=“#livingthing”/></member>


Madama Butterfly, 70-71, 234-236, 326 Puccini, Giacomo, 69-71 soprano, 41-42, 337 Tosca, 26, 70, 274-276, 326

Topic Maps: Indexing in 3D

PucciniTosca

MadameButterfly

composed by

composed by

Lucca

born in


Topic

Topic Maps Key Concepts:Topic, Association & Occurrence

Living Thing

Animal

MammalBird

Human

instance of

instance of instance of

instance of

occurrence of

psittacines

occurrence of

instance of

association

association


Topic Maps Key Concepts: Association

time flies like an arrow … fruit flies like a banana

time an arrowflies like

fruit flies a bananalike

XTM

RDF

topic association

topic topic topicassociation

time an arrowflies like

fruit flies a bananalike

subject

predicate object

subject

predicate object


Topic Maps Key Concepts : Role & Scope

Topic + Association + Role + Scope = precision

The nature of a subject’s participation in an associationRole

ScopeScope provides … a context in which topics are related through associations

{XML Topic Maps. Jack Park}

WilliamShakespeare

Macbethauthor of

[written work][author]

{XML Topic Maps. Jack Park}

United States États Unis

{Scope: French}{Scope: English}


Topic Maps: A Topic Map for ISO 13250

http://www1.y12.doe.gov/capabilities/sgml/sc34/document/0322_files/iso13250-2nd-ed-v2.pdf

has occurrence[instance]

[occurrence]

ISO

sponsor of

Standard

JTC1 ISO 13250

SC34

committee of instance of

author ofsub-committee of

[publication][sponsor]

[publication]

[instance]

[author]

[written work]

[organization]

[organization]

[sub-organization]

[sub-organization]


Topic Maps in Practice: Competence Mapping

ROLE

COMPETENCE

PERSON

SKEB(Skills, Knowledge, Experience,

Behaviour)

ACTIVITY

How can we define what competence is required for a specific role?

How can we represent this competence so that it can be transferred?

TRAINING/MENTORING/EXPERIENCE

performs

requires

comprisesacquired through

transferred to

assigned to


Topic Maps in Practice: Activity System Ontology


Topic Maps in Practice: Competence Ontology


Topic Maps in Practice: Knowledge MapAccess via an information object


Topic Maps in Practice: Knowledge MapAccess via an activity


BS 8723-2BS 8723-2RT (attribute) | (attribute of) = “objects or materials and their defining properties”RT (operation) | (operation on) = “an action and its patient or target”RT (ancillary) | (ancillary of) = ‘concepts linked by causal dependence’

Topic Maps in Practice: Resource Discovery

Input

Target system <- OperationTarget system <- OperationConfiguration RT (operation on) JunctionworkJunctionwork RT (operation) ConfigurationSpeed Restriction RT (operation on) TrackTrack RT (operation) Speed Restriction

Target system <- AttributeTarget system <- AttributeCondition (state) RT (attribute of) TrackCurvature RT (attribute of) TrackTrack RT (attribute) Condition (state)Track RT (attribute) Curvature

Target system <- AncillaryTarget system <- AncillaryLubricators RT (ancillary of) TrackPerformance Criteria RT (ancillary of) TrackTrack RT (ancillary) LubricatorsTrack RT (ancillary) Performance Criteria

TampingUSEOn-track Tamping

TrackUF Permanent WayBT Track AssetsNT (component)

Conductor RailCrossing RailsJunctionworkRailRunning RailTrack Support

NT (type)Plain LineSingle Line

RT (ancillary)Design CriteriaLubricatorsTrack Plant

RT (attribute)BucklingCondition (state)CurvatureGradient

RT (operation)Speed Restrictions

Track SupportNT (elements)

BallastBallast Mat

RT (operations)On-track Tamping



Output



Visualization


References

ISO/IEC 13250:2002 Topic Maps. http://www1.y12.doe.gov/capabilities/sgml/sc34/document/0322_files/iso13250-2nd-ed-v2.pdf

Le Grand, Bénédicte. Topic Maps Visualization. http://www.gca.org/papers/xmleurope2000/papers/s29-03.html

Mapas Conceptuales (Universidad Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona). http://www.mapasconceptuales.com/

Mondeca. http://www.mondeca.com/company.htm

Moresophy. http://www.moresophy.com/networker/homepage/MainPage.jsp

NetworkedPlanet. http://www.networkedplanet.com/

Ontopia. http://www.ontopia.net/

Park, Jack (ed.). XML Topic Maps. Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2003.

Pepper, Steve. The TAO of Topic Maps. http://www.ontopia.net/topicmaps/materials/tao.html

Techquila. http://www.techquila.com/

Topicmap.com. http://www.topicmaps.com/tm2007/

Topic Maps for Java. http://tm4j.org/

topic maps: theory & practice

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