Dublin Core Relations, Types, and Identifiers in RDF

[not sure whether to send this to rdf-comments or meta2.
I hope the DC part of the RDF schema spec gets split out
into its own spec, complete with lots of examples.
Anyway...]

For a citation such as

The Problems of Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell
     OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
     First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1959
     This reprint, 1971-2
     ISBN 0-19-500212-1 
http://www.berkeleynetcentral.com/DrPseudocryptonym/Russell_TheProblemsofPhilosophy.html

the Dublin Dore schema in the RDF syntax spec[dc]
suggests RDF descriptions ala:

------------
<rdf:RDF
     xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-rdf-syntax#"
     xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-rdf-schema#"
    
xmlns:="http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/WD-rdf-schema-19980814/#dublincore">

 <rdf:Description ID="original">
     <Title>The Problems of Philosophy</title>
     <Creator>Bertrand Russell</Creator>
     <Publisher>OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS</Publisher>
     <Date>1959</Date>
     <Type>paperback</Type>
 </rdf:Description>

 <rdf:Description>
     <Relation>
      <RelationName>IsVersionOf</RelationName>
      <RelationTarget rdf:resource="#original>
     </Relation>
     <Date>1971-02</Date>
     <Identifier>ISBN 0-19-500212-1</Identifier>
    
<Identifier>http://www.berkeleynetcentral.com/DrPseudocryptonym/Russell_TheProblemsofPhilosophy.html</Identifier>
 </rdf:Description>
</rdf:RDF>
------------

I suggest this doesn't make very good use of the RDF infrastructure.
I would suggest a something more like:

------------
<rdf:RDF
     xmlns:="http://purl.org/dublin-core#"
     xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dublin-core#"
     xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-rdf-syntax#"
     xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-rdf-schema#"
     xmlns:t="http://purl.org/dublin-core/types#"
     xmlns:r="http://purl.org/dublin-core/relations#"
     xmlns:my="http://my.org/bookstuff#"
     >

 <t:Book>
  <Title>The Problems of Philosophy</title>
  <Creator>Bertrand Russell</Creator>
  <Publisher>OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS</Publisher>
  <Date>1959</Date>
  <my:Binding>Paperback</my:Binding>
  <r:Reprint>
   <t:Book about="isbn:0-19-500212-1">
    <Date>1971-02</Date>
    <r:SoftCopy
about="http://www.berkeleynetcentral.com/DrPseudocryptonym/Russell_TheProblemsofPhilosophy.html"
/>
   </t:Book>
  </r:Reprint>
 </t:Book>

</rdf:RDF>
------------

Rationale:

---- Type
-- the dublin core Type becomes an RDF Class, rather than an RDF
PropertyType,
	so that you can use it as an element name in place of rdf:Description
-- The enumeration of types is just another RDF schema

---- Relation
-- each Relation in the dublin core sense is its own RDF PropertyType.
	(we could use superPropertyType ala MCF, but that's the subject
	of another message entirely)
-- The enumeration of Relations is just another RDF schema

---- Identifiers
-- always be sure URIs are recognized as such, and not treated as plain
	strings. The only way to do this in the RDF XML syntax is
	to use about/resource attributes. So an Identifier properyType
	should only be used for non-URI identifiers.
-- isbn is a perfectly good URI scheme, in use since 12 Nov 91. See
	http://www.w3.org/Addressing/schemes


[dc] http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/WD-rdf-schema-19980814/#dublincore

-- 
Dan Connolly
http://www.w3.org/People/Connolly/

Received on Tuesday, 18 August 1998 12:29:38 UTC