re classification scheme

[Terry Allen <tallen@sonic.net>]

[on behalf of Jon Bosak, writing from an address he's not subscribed from]

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Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 14:54:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jon Bosak <bosak@boethius.eng.sun.com>
Message-Id: <200005222154.OAA06633@boethius.eng.sun.com>
To: regrep@lists.oasis-open.org
In-reply-to: <4.1.20000519150337.00b73380@mailserver.nist.gov> (message from
	Len Gallagher on Fri, 19 May 2000 16:04:06 -0400)
Subject: Re: Classification Schemes

| Several of us at NIST have been playing around with different ways
| to define and exchange classification schemes for the OASIS
| Registry/Repository.
| [...]
| We'd be interested in any comments -- in the absence of comments
| this ER-diagram and the ClassificationScheme DTD will appear in
| the next candidate Registry/Repository specification.

This seems to be saying that whatever "several of us at NIST"
decide is by default what's going to be in the next specification.
Is this really your position?

| 1) Every classification scheme is registered as a Registry
| Item. Thus it has a global uniform resource name (URN) assigned by
| the registration authority. That name can be used to access all of
| the scheme's metadata, e.g. aliases, descriptions, dependencies,
| etc.

This seems to be saying that the repository can only use
classification schemes that are themselves resident in a
repository organized in the same way as our repository.  That cuts
out a lot of classification schemes, doesn't it?

Later on you say:

| Recall that a registry item cannot be classified according to a
| classification scheme unless that scheme is itself registered.

I wasn't paying attention when this principle was adopted, but it
seems to render pointless a lot of discussions we've been having
recently about how to classify schemas.  No need to worry about
choosing among registered classification schemes if there aren't
any.

| 2) We need a DTD to represent the classification scheme itself. An
| OASIS classification scheme representation must validate to this
| DTD.

Why do classification schemes need DTDs?

Take NAICS, for example.  Are you saying that we have to come up
with a DTD for the NAICS before it can be used as a classification
scheme?  I can find out about the NAICS system by looking at their
web site.  How is my ability to correctly categorize an industry
under one or more NAICS codes dependent on the existence of a DTD
for NAICS?

| 3) The DTD must allow an arbitrary number of levels in the scheme
| hierarchy.

Is this requirement necessary to the functioning of a repository
that uses classification schemes, or is it rather necessary to a
repository that is attempting to be a home for classification
schemes?

Jon