RE: [Proposal][SKOS-Core] Notes

The types of note you have listed all look sensible to me, although
"Example" is unusual in my experience. The only cases I can think of are
in thesauri of art objects, which sometimes show a photograph or line
drawing of an example of the object in question. We usually refer to
"Editorial Note" rather than "Editor Note". The facility to define your
own type of note is very often useful.
Stella

*****************************************************
Stella Dextre Clarke
Information Consultant
Luke House, West Hendred, Wantage, Oxon, OX12 8RR, UK
Tel: 01235-833-298
Fax: 01235-863-298
SDClarke@LukeHouse.demon.co.uk
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-----Original Message-----
From: public-esw-thes-request@w3.org
[mailto:public-esw-thes-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Miles, AJ
(Alistair) 
Sent: 21 September 2004 18:43
To: 'public-esw-thes@w3.org'
Subject: re: [Proposal][SKOS-Core] Notes



Any further comments on this proposal?

<http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-esw-thes/2004Sep/0005.html>

...

We employ a property hierarchy, which can be extended by scheme owners
via 
rdfs:subPropertyOf for more specific note properties.

Below is the property hierarchy I suggest:

rdfs:comment	
	skos:publicNote
		skos:definition
		skos:scopeNote
		skos:example
		skos:historyNote
	skos:privateNote
		skos:editorNote

... with the following definitions (and comments):

skos:publicNote
  - A general note intended for public consumption.
  - (This property not intended to be used directly, but as a
super-property for 
other properties indicating documentation intended for public
consumption.)

skos:definition
  - A statement or formal explanation of the meaning of a concept.

skos:scopeNote
  - A note that helps to clarify the meaning of a concept.
  - (Typically used to describe what is or is not in scope for the
concept, i.e. 
what is or is not included in the concept's meaning.)

skos:example
  - A note or resource that illustrates the intended use of a concept.

skos:historyNote
  - A note about the history or past use and meaning of a concept.

skos:privateNote
  - A note not intended for public consumption.
  - (This property not intended to be used directly, but as a
super-property for 
other properties indicating documentation not intended for public
consumption.)

skos:editorNote
  - A note for an editor, translator or maintainer of the vocabulary.

----

I also suggest three optional modes of usage for these properties:

  - Mode 1 (Literal): the value of the property is a Literal (useful
where 
scheme owner wants to keep things as simple as possible).

e.g.

<skos:Concept rdf:about="http://example.org/topics/0304">
	<skos:definition xml:lang="en">Any of several treelike Asian
herbs of the genus 
Musa, especially M. acuminata, having a terminal crown of large, entire
leaves 
and a hanging cluster of fruits.</skos:definition> </skos:Concept>

  - Mode 2 (Blank node resource): the value of the property is a blank
node,

with the text of the note being placed as the value of an rdf:value
property of 
the blank node (useful where additional information about the note must
be 
represented, e.g. author or date).

e.g.

<skos:Concept rdf:about="http://example.org/topics/0304">
	<skos:historyNote rdf:parseType="Resource">
		<rdf:value>The definition was modified to include
members of the plantain 
family.</rdf:value>
		<dc:date>2004-08-02</dc:date>
	</skos:historyNote>
</skos:Concept>

  - Mode 3 (Resource): the value of the property is a textual web
resource (such 
as html or text file) containing the body of the note (useful where e.g.
example 
    or definition exists in separate file).

e.g.

<skos:Concept rdf:about="http://example.org/topics/0304">
	<skos:example>
		<rdf:Description
rdf:about="http:example.org/examples/0304.html">
			<!-- additional properties of the file could
also be mentioned here, e.g. 
author. -->
		</rdf:Description>
	</skos:example>
</skos:Concept>

Having three different modes of usage shouldn't be a problem, because 
applications will be able to detect the difference easily (i.e. is the
statement 
object a Literal? Yes -> Mode 1, No -> Is the value a blank node? Yes ->
Mode 2, 
No -> Mode 3.


Al.



---
Alistair Miles
Research Associate
CCLRC - Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Building R1 Room 1.60
Fermi Avenue
Chilton
Didcot
Oxfordshire OX11 0QX
United Kingdom
Email:        a.j.miles@rl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1235 445440

Received on Friday, 24 September 2004 10:03:23 UTC