SKOS Mapping Vocabulary Specification query

Dear all,

At the Centre for Digital Library Research (CDLR) we are in the process of
researching and developing a M2M mapping-based terminology server.  This
work is being undertaken via the third phase of the High-Level Thesaurus
project (HILT) [1].  HILT III will offer web services access (via SOAP) and
plans to use SKOS Core for wrapping terminology sets for sending. In
particular, this would entail the use of the SKOS Mapping Vocabulary
Specification.  

Previous phases of HILT indicated that a degree of specificity was required
when characterising mapping match types.  This was necessary to facilitate
improved results ranking and to provide users with adequate relevance
feedback.  Vocabulary switching work conducted by Chaplan [2] identified 19
separate mapping match types and noted the difficulty in using conceptual
approaches to denote equivalence.  More recently, Liang et al. [3] have
found problems in implementing the SKOS matches for mapping between
disparate thesauri.  This was attributed to difficulties pertaining to the
match type definitions and their ability to accommodate more complex
matches.

Clearly there is a need to offer a simple conceptual approach to specifying
equivalence - and this is what the SKOS MVS does; however, we would be keen
to know the status of the SKOS MVS, whether any extensions are being
proposed and, if so, their nature.   Since there has not been significant
public comment on the SKOS mapping types, we would also be keen to hear
comments and whether people consider the MVS to be sufficiently specific.
Our current thoughts are that we might extend the SKOS MVS to incorporate
extra match types, but we would want to do this collaboratively and in a way
that can accommodate any foreseeable (or potential) additions to the SKOS
MVS.

Thanks in advance.

George   

References:

[1] HILT: http://hilt.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/  

[2] Margaret A. Chaplan, Mapping Laborline Thesaurus terms to Library of
Congress Subject Headings: implications for vocabulary switching, Library
Quarterly 56(1) (1995) 39-61.

[3] A. Liang, M. Sini, Chang Chun, Li Sijing, Lu Wenlin, He Chunpei and J.
Keizer, The mapping schema from Chinese Agricultural Thesaurus to AGROVOC,
6th AOS Workshop - Thesaurus enrichment and facilitating interoperability
through mapping (2005).  Available:
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/008/af241e/af241e00.pdf  

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George Macgregor,
Centre for Digital Library Research (CDLR),
Department of Computer & Information Sciences,
University of Strathclyde, Livingstone Tower,
26 Richmond Street, Glasgow, UK, G1 1XH
tel: +44 (0)141 548 4752
fax: +44 (0)141 548 4523
web: http://cdlr.strath.ac.uk/
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Received on Tuesday, 15 August 2006 14:59:41 UTC