Boeing feedback on the current Tech Spec.

["Walker, Jamie" <James.Walker@PSS.Boeing.com>]

The following message is a response for feedback regarding the current RegRep Technical Spec.  It is not wholly indicative of the Boeing position, but rather the comments and opinions of an individual involved with the creation of the infrastructure and should be regarded accordingly.

Jamie Walker
Sr. Systems Analyst / Intranet Strategist 
Boeing Commercial Airplanes IS Architecture 
Everett, WA 
The Boeing Company
PO Box 3707 M/S 0Y-CJ
Seattle, Wa 98124-2207
Phone: 425-294-8295 Fax: 425-342-3481
Pager: 425-631-6070 or 4256316070@mobilecomm.net 
E-mail: jamie.walker@boeing.com <mailto:jamie.walker@boeing.com> 
Personal: jamiewalker@yahoo.com <mailto:jamiewalker@yahoo.com>


>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	EXT-Moya, Cynthia A  
> Sent:	Tuesday, January 02, 2001 10:43 AM
> To:	Breininger, Kathryn R; EXT-Berry, Nicholas F; Portillo, Christina; Walker, Jamie
> Subject:	RE: Availability of the latest OASIS Reg/Rep Tech Spec
> 
> 
> From a library perspective, I am especially interested in the way that the RegRep document portrays the "classification" and does not portray the "subject analysis" of the Registered Objects.  These are two kinds of information organization tools commonly used in library catalogs, which serve different purposes, and are both very important to the whole.  
> 
> The RegRep document is very detailed and clear about "classification." The classification is a hierarchical system, and has elements including which scheme it is, and what organization controls or is using the scheme.
> 
> "Subject analysis" is present, implicitly, in the discussion of "description" [with subclasses "abstract" and "keyword"].  But I don't think it is well-modeled.
> 
> section 2.6.3 - 
> 
> 	"Descriptions:  A description is intended to play the role of an abstract and keyword list commonly required for library resources....Each Description instance consists of a plain text fullDescription, as well as an optional keywordList and abstract..... [plus] reference to its submitting organization, since descriptions may come from many different sources."  
> 
> In Library and Information Science, using an uncontrolled "keyword" field is not an appropriate way to tag objects for what they are about.  These terms should come from a "thesaurus" -- a controlled set of terms, interrelated in a weblike nature (not hierarchically).  Appropriate terms about the RegisteredObject are assigned by a subject matter expert, and are included as part of the "registryEntry" or "metadata." These terms provide a number of important functions, such as: facilitate collocation of RegisteredObjects by subject; and showing relationships of registeredObjects to related items through the thesaurus relationships.  [NOTE:  These kinds of relationships are different from the "associations" class, which is capturing another sort of information.]  
> 
> Like the "classification", there can also be numerous thesarui, which are controlled by various organizations.  For instance, the Boeing Thesaurus, the Nasa Thesaurus, The Library of Congress Subject Headings, etc. etc.  
> 
> Please let me know if you have any questions.
> 
> 
> 
> Overall, I am very impressed by this document, and am certain we can absorb some of this work into our own Registry design.
> 
> 
> 
> Cynthia Moya, MLIS
> cynthia.moya@pss.boeing.com
> 425.237.3238
> SSG/Boeing Technical Libaries
> 
>