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Subject: Re: [tm-pubsubj] Published subjects terminology


Lars Marius

Thanks for that. I've posted your proposal at
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tm-pubsubj/docs/works/psterm-LMG.htm

Comments to come

Bernard


----- Message d'origine -----
De : "Lars Marius Garshol" <larsga@garshol.priv.no>
À : <tm-pubsubj@lists.oasis-open.org>
Envoyé : samedi 26 janvier 2002 23:57
Objet : [tm-pubsubj] Published subjects terminology


>
> Here's my attempt to describe the terminology of published subjects.
> It's still a little rough, but I hope it still helps. With feedback I
> may be able to improve it.
>
>
>
>   PUBLISHED SUBJECT TERMINOLOGY
> ===============================
>
> This is a working document for the PubSubj TC, which explains the
> terminology relating to published subjects from one particular point
> of view. There are other points of view within the TC, so this
> document is in no way official. (Thanks to Sylvia Schwab for a very
> helpful outside view.)
>
>
>   SUBJECTS AND THEIR PUBLISHERS
> -------------------------------
>
> (While reading it may be useful to keep an eye on this diagram:
> <URL: http://www.ontopia.net/tmp/terms.png >.)
>
> Imagine that someone wants others to be able to refer to a certain
> concept in an unambiguous fashion in a global context. In topic map
> terms, concepts are called /subjects/, but they have no obvious
> identifiers, in topic maps or out of them. So, what to do?
>
> One solution is to publish a /subject definition resource/ (SDR) for
> the subject. This is an information resource[1] that defines clearly
> (to a human reader) what the subject is. The publication of the SDR
> makes the subject a /published subject/, and the interested party the
> /publisher/ of that published subject.
>
> Note that the published subject is the real-world concept we want to
> make statements about, not what the publisher publishes. That is the
> SDR, and its role is to explain what the published subject is. Those
> who want to refer to the subject can now do so by referring to the
> SDR.
>
>
>   PUBLISHED SUBJECTS IN TOPIC MAPS
> ----------------------------------
>
> Now, someone wants to make a topic map where they make statements
> about the published subject. To do this the topic map author needs to
> make a topic in the topic map and give that topic a /subject indicator
> reference/ (SIR), which points to the SDR. Doing so makes the SDR a
> /subject indicator/ in this topic map.
>
> Note that any resource can be used as a subject indicator. All that's
> necessary for this to happen is for someone to refer to it as a
> subject indicator from some topic map. This is somewhat risky,
> however, as the resource may not be completely unambiguous as to what
> subject it defines, but for want of a formal SDR one may well use some
> resource that seems reasonable.
>
> Part of the reason to use published subjects is so that topic maps
> will merge correctly even when written by parties unaware of one
> another. When merging topic maps the topic map software will not
> download and compare the subject indicators, however, and therefore
> it's vital that all references to SDRs use exactly the same SIRs. For
> this reason the publisher must not only publish the SDR, but also
> clearly define the URI to be used to refer to the SDR.
>
>
>   DOCUMENTING PUBLISHED SUBJECTS
> --------------------------------
>
> In practical terms, what this means is that the publisher needs to
> publish more than just a set of SDRs. (We spoke initially of a single
> subject, but subjects will rarely, if ever, be documented singly.) The
> complete package of documentation published is called the /published
> subjects documentation/ (PSD). This will generally contain metadata
> about the publisher, the collection of published subjects and
> references to each SDR. In addition, it should define the canonical
> SIR to be used for each published subject, and perhaps also some
> assertions about each published subject (such as names and topic
> types).
>
> There are no definite rules for what PSDs must contain, though this TC
> is working to define recommendations for their contents.
>
>
>   SUMMARY
> ---------
>
> A published subject is a subject for which someone has published an
> SDR. An SDR is an information resource published in order to clearly
> define a subject for a human reader. Subjects which have no SDRs are
> not published subjects. Publishers are recommended to establish sets
> of published subjects by publishing a PSD package, in order to
> establish the set of subjects, metadata about the set and the SIR of
> each subject.
>
> >From the point of view of a topic map any information resource used to
> indicate the identity of a subject is a subject indicator. The subject
> indicator may be a SDR, if the subject is a published subject, or it
> may not be. The URI used to refer to the subject indicator is known as
> the SIR.
>
> [1] This is what is known in RFC 2396 as a network-retrievable
>     resource.
>
>
> --Lars M.
>
>
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