Re: [dita] iiRDS and metadata

DITA provides two completely-general metadata representation facilities, both of which can be adapted to any existing metadata system.

The <data> element allows for arbitrary name/value pairs (simple value), where the name can be anything, e.g.:

That alone handles most cases of metadata representation.

<data> can also be nested arbitrarily, so you can represent any structured metadata as well. This should satisfy what I understand to be the iiRDS requirements.

Through specialization you can model pretty much any existing metadata vocabulary with a high degree of fidelity (modulo the use of namespaces, which DITA does not allow in specialized element type names).

The subject scheme facility provides a way to model any possible taxonomy or ontology using DITA-defined syntax, if that’s useful. For example, I generated a subject scheme that exactly reflects the IET’s 25,000-term taxonomy for engineering concepts.

Finally, you can use DITA’s foreign mechanism to directly includes non-DITA, XML-based metadata, e.g., RDFx, etc., if that’s useful.

I don’t think we need to say more than this—anything else would be in the context of specific content and that is outside the scope of the TC’s purview.

For example, if you want to use Dublin Core names on <data> elements you’re free to do so and the TC doesn’t need to have an opinion one way or another. If specific communities of usage want to have opinions that’s entirely different. For example, Publishers might want to establish guidelines for using the various publishing-specific metadata domains with DITA-based content.

Cheers,

Eliot

Eliot Kimber

http://contrext.com

From: <dita@lists.oasis-open.org> on behalf of Jim Tivy <jimt@bluestream.com>
Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at 11:54 AM
To: <dita@lists.oasis-open.org>
Subject: [dita] iiRDS and metadata

With regards to metadata and the DITA TC, it would be nice to have some sort of position paper on how DITA supports, interacts with, and relates to meta data in general – with reference to specifics.

The iiRDS spec is one such emerging standard with a proposed iiRDS core. Dublin Core is another standard which DITA has support for. As well, there are all the possibilities of subject scheme and embedded metadata.

iiRDS might be better served to adopt the terminology of OWL2 rather than RDFS – as the notations and meta model are more concise.

Currently in manufacturing industries there are other standards that require payment. Perhaps iiRDs is to establish a free standard to replace RDSPP (below) – the use cases in manufacturing that were referenced are very similar.

Reference Designation System Power Plant (RDS-PP)

https://www.vgb.org/shop/technicalrules/rdspp/b116d2e-ebook.html?___store=en&___from_store=default

dita message