'extending' SKOS Core

Tom wrote:
> 6. The phrase "extending SKOS Core" seems problematic for
>    exactly the same reasons that the phrase "extending Dublin
>    Core" is now seen as problematic in the DCMI context.
>    Taken literally, the phrase implies that one is adding
>    terms to the vocabulary maintained by DCMI.  Whereas it is
>    typically intended to mean that Dublin Core (or SKOS) terms
>    are being used together with terms from other vocabularies
>    in constructing a more expressive model.  This ambiguity
>    could perhaps be avoided with careful re-wording.

Have you got any suggestions Tom (or anyone else)?

In the context of SKOS Core, what I meant specifically by 'extending' is
that you can 'extend' the SKOS Core set of properties and classes for
modelling conceptual schemes, by creating and defining new properties and
classes that are sub-properties/sub-classes of SKOS Core classes/properties.
I guess that technically what I am talking about is creating 'refinements'
of the SKOS Core vocabulary (this is how DCMI talks about this sort of thing
as I understand?).  

However I use the words 'extending' and 'extensible' as buzzwords for
talking about SKOS Core, because this feature of RDF (i.e. 'extension' via
sub-prop & sub-class) is a major selling point for SKOS Core.  It means that
SKOS Core can be a standard representation framework for KOS that doesn't
break when you try to represent slightly quirky KOS.  You get
interoperability without having to sacrifice flexibility.  People in the KOS
community respond very well to this feature I have found.

Not sure what to do about this to avoid the potential ambiguity Tom
describes.

Cheers,

Al.

Received on Monday, 24 January 2005 15:40:55 UTC