RE: [xtm-wg] Learning Topic Maps

["Michel Biezunski" <mb@infoloom.com>]

> I would like to get my hands dirty on Topic Maps.  One idea I have in
> mind is to actually create a topic map based on the index from a
> book.

I have done that already for several customers. It can be fairly automatic
or fairly
complex, depending on how the source data look like.

I currently have the PDF file for the book and am thinking
> about finding a set of TM tools for this exercise.  The steps I
> envision will be:
> 1. Design the topic map by identifying the topic types, topics,
> occurrence roles, association types and roles from the index of the
> book.

OK.

> 2. Create the topic map as designed using a TM creation tool.

Depending which tool you use you don't need to do this upfront.

> 3. Convert the PDF file to HTML pages.
(see below)

> 4. Associate the address of each occurrence in the HTML pages with
> the corresponding topic (using the book index to look up the page
> number and manually find the line of text on that page).  I assume
> the TM creation tool will need me to enter the addresses.

I hope not! Topic Map Loom does that automatically for you
(otherwise creating a topic map would be a real nightmare).

> 5. Export the XML file from the TM creation tool.

I suppose you mean by XML file the interchange topic map file expressed in
XML syntax.
If this is what you want, that's fine.

> 6. Import the XML file into a TM navigation tool.

OK.
> 7. Test the navigation both within the topic domain and from the
> topic domain to the resource domain.

What do you mean by topic domain as opposed to the resource domain? Do you
mean all constructs used in the topic maps? For example, definitions of
topic types, or occurrence roles, etc. or do you mean associated topics?
What kind of navigation exactly are you looking for here?

> 8. Modify the topic map using the TM creation tool and repeat steps 5
> through 7.

OK.

> I am also thinking about going through this same process for another
> book which is on the same subject but of course will have its own
> index for me to creat the second topic map.  Having both topic maps
> created, I will then use a TM merge tool to merge two topic maps.  In
> that process, I plan to add themes that will define the scope for
> each topic assignment (name, occurrence, or association).  After
> that, I will then export the XML file for further testing using the
> TM navigation tool.
>
> Since I have never done this before, I would like to ask the
> following questions:
> 1. Are the process steps mentioned above making sense?  Have I missed
> anything?

Most of them. See my questions.

> 2. Although I mentioned 3 different tools, i.e.,
> creation/navigation/merge, is there one tool that can perform all
> three functions?  Any suggestion for the tool(s)?

Topic Map Loom, from InfoLoom, might be able to do most of the functions you
are
describing.

> 3. Do I have to convert the PDF file to HTML pages?
Not necessarily.

> If no, how can I make individual text in the
> PDF file addressable?

We are planning to provide a way to do it, and are waiting for a customer to
ask for it. Let's discuss this in private.

Michel
==========================================
Michel Biezunski, InfoLoom, Inc.
Tel +33 1 44 59 84 29 Cell +33 6 03 99 25 29
Email: mb@infoloom.com  Web: www.infoloom.com
==========================================



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