RE: thesaurusRepresentation-11

Quick comment on your three issues:

1. "Any type of annotation associated with a non-descriptor"
Yes, I believe this is useful and needed by a lot of vocabulary
managers. I don't see it as a requirement while using a thesaurus in
connection with searching a database (or other information resource),
but it certainly has uses while managing and maintaining the vocabulary.

2. "Instructions for coordination ("USE x + y"/"UF+")"
Yes, very much needed, and at the point of search. It applies both
within one vocabulary (when a non-preferred term points to a combination
of preferred terms) and when mapping between two vocabularies (when a
concept represented by a single preferred term in one vocabulary is
represented by two or more preferred terms in the other). The latter
case is quite complicated, because the way you apply the mappings is
different depending on whether you are selecting terms for searching or
selecting them for indexing. See draft BS 8723-4 Table 2 and clauses 5.3
- 5.5 for a discussion. Fortunately these complications probably don't
apply to SKOS Core, but are a treat in store for SKOS Mapping.

3. "1:n relationships between non-descriptors and descriptors ("USE x 
OR y"/"USO")"
BS 8723 does not recommend this type of relationship - not within one
thesaurus, that is to say. (It does apply to the situation of mapping
between vocabularies, when the type of complication mentioned above
comes into play.) Some existing thesauri do use this (bad) practice. For
example, I have come across 'Dams USE Mothers OR Hydraulic structures'
(And by the way, the reciprocal is usually UFO rather than USO). But BS
8723-2 clause 8.2.5 explains how to avoid any necessity for this type of
entry. So I'd be happy not to see it in SKOS Core.

All the best
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
*****************************************************



-----Original Message-----
From: public-esw-thes-request@w3.org
[mailto:public-esw-thes-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Alistair Miles
Sent: 06 June 2006 17:42
To: public-esw-thes@w3.org
Subject: thesaurusRepresentation-11



Hi all,

How about this:

---
thesaurusRepresentation-11: A placeholder item for several thesaurus 
representation issues.

  * Issue / Requirement

SKOS does not provide support for the following structural features 
found in some thesauri:

  - Any type of annotation associated with a non-descriptor
  - Instructions for coordination ("USE x + y"/"UF+")
  - 1:n relationships between non-descriptors and descriptors ("USE x 
OR y"/"USO")

  * Proposed action

This item is a placeholder for several thesaurus representation 
issues. It is expected that this item will be superseded by other 
items that provide a more specific and detailed account of each 
individual issue.

  * Background, proposals, threads, notes

  - Thread from <a 
href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-esw-thes/2006May/0009.h
tml">this 
message from Mark van Assem</a>.
  - Some <a 
href="http://isegserv.itd.rl.ac.uk/public/skos/press/dc2006/thesaurus.ht
ml">notes 
on thesaurus representation issues by Alistair Miles</a>.
  - Thread from <a 
href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-esw-thes/2005Aug/0017.h
tml">this 
message from Alistair Miles</a>, continued in <a 
href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-esw-thes/2005Oct/0103.h
tml">this 
message</a> and also from <a 
href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-esw-thes/2005Oct/0105.h
tml">this 
message</a> (or search the public-esw-thes@w3.org mailing list for the 
subject line "notes at contepts vs notes at terms").
---

?

Cheers,

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

Received on Thursday, 8 June 2006 14:20:11 UTC