Draft Reference Model for Topic Maps (RM4TM)

Date:      16 Nov 2002 11:57:23 -0600
From:      Steven R. Newcomb <srn@coolheads.com>
To:        clbullar@ingr.com, xml-dev@lists.xml.org
Subject:   Draft Reference Model for Topic Maps

Draft Reference Model for Topic Maps

The first draft of the ISO Reference Model for Topic Maps (RM4TM) is now available at http://www.isotopicmaps.org/rm4tm/ It shows how to regard any data content notation, database schema, etc., as a topic map notation, so that its knowledge content can be automatically and losslessly amalgamated with all other kinds of knowledge content into a comprehensive topic map that honors the Subject Location Uniqueness Objective.

  ***************************************************
  *                                                 *
  *  The Subject Location Uniqueness Objective is   *
  *  to have one single subject per node, and for   *
  *  every participating subject to have one        *
  *  single node, even after any number of diverse  *
  *  topic maps have been merged together.          *
  *                                                 *
  ***************************************************

The draft RM4TM establishes something like an assembly language for a "topic maps machine" that has only eight instructions. The development of a Syntax Processing Model (as that term is defined by the RM4TM), such as a Syntax Processing Model for the XTM syntax, is similar to the design requirements for a compiler that outputs code suitable for a RISC machine that has only eight instructions -- the "Eight Forms of Connectedness" described in the draft RM4TM. Once the information takes the form of a topic map graph, it is automatically mergeable in such a way as to achieve the Subject Location Uniqueness Objective.

I hope that everyone responsible for the Semantic Web, .NET, public safety and emergency management, government transparency and secrecy, etc. etc., will sit up and take notice. I know of no other standard or recommendation, proposed or unproposed, to the general problem of civilization-wide information aggregation, that allows diverse knowledge to be aggregated losslessly, while honoring the Subject Location Uniqueness Objective.

Before dismissing this idea on the basis that "graphs don't scale", first see what the RM4TM really is (it's a set of definition requirements for Topic Maps Applications), and then consider whether and how a wide-area network of knowledge-serving peers can act as a machine that supports eight instructions.

Steven R. Newcomb
Co-editor, ISO/IEC 13250 Topic Maps

Contact

Steven R. Newcomb
Consultant, Coolheads Consulting
WWW: http://www.coolheads.com
Tel: +1 972 359 8160
FAX: +1 972 359 0270

1527 Northaven Drive
Allen, Texas 75002-1648 USA

Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive. See: (1) the 2002-11-16 news item "ISO SC34 Publishes Draft Reference Model for Topic Maps (RM4TM)"; (2) general references in "(XML) Topic Maps."

SEARCH Advanced Search ABOUT Site Map CP RSS Channel Contact Us Sponsoring CP About Our Sponsors NEWS Cover Stories Articles & Papers Press Releases CORE STANDARDS XML SGML Schemas XSL/XSLT/XPath XLink XML Query CSS SVG TECHNOLOGY REPORTS XML Applications General Apps Government Apps Academic Apps EVENTS LIBRARY Introductions FAQs Bibliography Technology and Society Semantics Tech Topics Software Related Standards Historic	Draft Reference Model for Topic Maps (RM4TM) Date: 16 Nov 2002 11:57:23 -0600 From: Steven R. Newcomb <srn@coolheads.com> To: clbullar@ingr.com, xml-dev@lists.xml.org Subject: Draft Reference Model for Topic Maps Draft Reference Model for Topic Maps The first draft of the ISO Reference Model for Topic Maps (RM4TM) is now available at http://www.isotopicmaps.org/rm4tm/ It shows how to regard any data content notation, database schema, etc., as a topic map notation, so that its knowledge content can be automatically and losslessly amalgamated with all other kinds of knowledge content into a comprehensive topic map that honors the Subject Location Uniqueness Objective. *************************************************** * * * The Subject Location Uniqueness Objective is * * to have one single subject per node, and for * * every participating subject to have one * * single node, even after any number of diverse * * topic maps have been merged together. * * * ************************************************* The draft RM4TM establishes something like an assembly language for a "topic maps machine" that has only eight instructions. The development of a Syntax Processing Model (as that term is defined by the RM4TM), such as a Syntax Processing Model for the XTM syntax, is similar to the design requirements for a compiler that outputs code suitable for a RISC machine that has only eight instructions -- the "Eight Forms of Connectedness" described in the draft RM4TM. Once the information takes the form of a topic map graph, it is automatically mergeable in such a way as to achieve the Subject Location Uniqueness Objective. I hope that everyone responsible for the Semantic Web, .NET, public safety and emergency management, government transparency and secrecy, etc. etc., will sit up and take notice. I know of no other standard or recommendation, proposed or unproposed, to the general problem of civilization-wide information aggregation, that allows diverse knowledge to be aggregated losslessly, while honoring the Subject Location Uniqueness Objective. Before dismissing this idea on the basis that "graphs don't scale", first see what the RM4TM really is (it's a set of definition requirements for Topic Maps Applications), and then consider whether and how a wide-area network of knowledge-serving peers can act as a machine that supports eight instructions. Steven R. Newcomb Co-editor, ISO/IEC 13250 Topic Maps Contact** Steven R. Newcomb Consultant, Coolheads Consulting WWW: http://www.coolheads.com Tel: +1 972 359 8160 FAX: +1 972 359 0270 1527 Northaven Drive Allen, Texas 75002-1648 USA Prepared by Robin Cover for The XML Cover Pages archive. See: (1) the 2002-11-16 news item "ISO SC34 Publishes Draft Reference Model for Topic Maps (RM4TM)"; (2) general references in "(XML) Topic Maps."