Re: [tm-pubsubj-comment] Re: [topicmapmail] ANN: UNSPSC topic mapavailable

[Murray Altheim <m.altheim@open.ac.uk>]

Kal Ahmed wrote:
[in coversation with Mary Nishikawa...]

> One thing that I think is interesting is that you and I took different 
> approaches to topic naming - I left out the numbers from the name. You have 
> added sort names with the numbers to allow a different sort order of the 
> topics. Another difference is that my topic map contains version information 
> (which may or may not be of use to topic map users). Yet with a common PSI we 
> would be able to merge both views of the same data. In fact, it should be 
> possible to create a mediating topic map with the sole purpose of causing the 
> two different views of the same data to be merged. Thats something I think 
> I'll have a go at.


The UNSPSC is certainly important for business use, but the reason
I gave a go at the Cyc ontology (however misguided it or myself may
be in attempting to use it) was to provide *one possible* common
framework ontology upon which sub-ontologies could be attached, just
as you have been discussing. Ie., so that if somebody publishes a
topic map within a specific domain, they can hook certain parts
(perhaps the root of their taxonomy) into an existing framework.
There's the IEEE SUO ontology and then whatever gets cooked up by
the W3C.

Along those same lines I have worked on the ITIS zoological taxonomy,
and played a bit with DeweyDC. There needs to be a common way of
addressing existing frameworks even if their publishers decide, due
to lack of interest or resources, to publish a topic map. For example,
creating a URN space for Dewey that included version and a common
means of creating those URNs would obviate the need for a topic map;
one simply would create the URN and use it in one's tools/maps.
Dewey's publisher could provide a web page describing how to create
URI/URNs within their space. Same for ISBN/ISSN.

I don't think it's our place to publish these frameworks, given that
there are a number of competing ones. But describing how to convert
and publish those frameworks as topic maps, or how to create a URN
or http: identifier for topics within them is certainly within the
scope of the TC, and an important part, perhaps one of the most
important parts.

Murray

......................................................................
Murray Altheim                  <http://kmi.open.ac.uk/people/murray/>
Knowledge Media Institute
The Open University, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK7 6AA, UK

            If you're the first person in a new territory,
            you're likely to get shot at.
                                                     -- ma