[topicmaps-comment] topic maps and metadata

[David Dodds <drdodds42@hotmail.com>]

David Dodds
wrote Chapter 11 Further TopicMap / RDF Development
Introduction in Ch 14 Process Description
Chapter 15 Inferencing Systems
Chapter 16 Advanced Meta Data Use Cases

in the WROX book Professional XML Meta Data

Chapter 11 contains two parts: one possible way to go about automatic topic 
map construction; and combining RDF and Topic Maps. I talked about manual 
construction, combination of manual and automated construction including 
XTM-aware visual construction tool, and
automatic topic map construction.

I use an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) XML file as the "source info" for 
the topic map that is created in the chapter. I provide a lot of code, which 
shows the topic map code and the RDF meta data used to inform the 
inferencing steps to generate the TM code. The SVG input
"data set" is a line-diagram electronic schematic of a circuit. A rendered 
picture version of the SVG is shown in the chapter.

The point of the code and discussion was that a picture or diagram can have 
associated metadata in RDF, DAML-OIL etc and have a meaningful semantic 
graph, topic map, derived from it. The topic map can, in turn, 
use/reference/link to a plethora of topic/knowledge about the
(content) domain of the diagram or picture. In this case a diagram of an 
electronic circuit can be made conceptually searchable by virtue of its 
topic map. I pointed out, for example, that thanks to the topic map, the 
computer was able to perceive that the electronic diagram in the chapter is 
the same kind of thing as an electronic diagram of an ILS transponder in 
Boeing's 777 documentation, is the same kind of thing as the diagram in your 
VHS tape machine innards, is also a same kind of visual and picture thing as 
the Mona Lisa and Da Vinci's notebook drawings.

The topic map gives a powerful additional semantic/meaning handle for both 
computers and humans.

I mention future TM work that Benedicte Le Grande and I are jointly 
pursuing, which for my part invovles augmenting RDF with DAML-OIL and 
OpenCyc.

I had orignally submitted details (code) to WROX about simultaneous RDF and 
Topic Maps in a single XML (SVG) file. They threw most of that away in their 
wisdom. A brief mention did survive in the chapter.

The chapter closes with a discussion about using a graph data manipulation 
language to do topic map construction, where graph manipulation of RDF 
graphs are used to transform them into topic
map graphs.


Introduction to Chapter 14 Process Description - I had submitted a chapter 
on Process Description which talked about PSL and also about SMIL. WROX 
tossed my CH 14, except for its introduction and credited NIST for the whole 
chapter.


Chapter 15 is a light hearted introduction to logical and inferencing 
systems. It was designed for non-programmers who might not have understood 
the whys and wherefors of inferencing code in
my other chapters.


In Chapter 16 , I discuss how to use UKL to create Topic Map code which 
talks about self-describing XML files, the XML file in the chapter example 
is an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) file.The picture (a bar chart) the SVG 
produces is shown in the chapter.
The chapter ends with an example of meta data for document integrity and 
recovery. An SVG based picture is shown and the text discusses how one might 
use meta data to handle such things as alterations and forgeries of the 
original content. The technique does not use pixel
capture/template matching. It is also scalable, because SVG is scalable. 
"Self-similar" (fractal) content can be handled as well, by virtue of the 
fractal dimension and lacunarity measures used.



David Dodds


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