Re: SemWeb terminology page

On Wed, Dec 08, 2010 at 08:01:34AM -0800, Karen Coyle wrote:
> Note that Jenn Riley tackles semantic differences between library use  
> of terms and SemWeb use of terms in her (excellent!) slide presentation:
>   http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/education/brownbags/fall2010/rdf/rdf.pdf
> starting at slide 17. Some highlights:

I'm on the road and this URL is timing out, so I cannot see
the full document.  Just a few constructively intended
reactions in response to the highlights...:

> ?Subject?
> 
> In libraries, what an information resource is about
> In RDF, what a statement is about

The "subject" of a triple, like the "subject" of
a sentence, is of course what the statement is about.  

However, an RDF statement using, for example, the predicate
dcterms:subject, says what the information resource is about
-- no difference there.  I wouldn't want readers to think
that RDF is somehow pushing people to think about "subject"
in a completely alien way.  After all librarians, like all
other users of natural-language grammar, form sentences about
"subjects" just about every time they voice a thought :-)

> "Class?
> 
> In libraries, a classification scheme indicating the
> general topic or area of knowledge covered by an
> information resource
> In RDF, a type or category that any type of object
> or resource belongs to

Hmm, would it not perhaps be more accurate to say:

    In libraries, the general topic or area of knowledge 
    covered by an information resource as taken from (or 
    words to that effect) a classification scheme.

Seen this way, the difference between the two is still there
but is not quite as wide.

> "Schema?
> 
> XML Schema defines a set of elements intended to
> be used together

One could perhaps go one step further:

    XML Schema defines a set of elements intended to
    be used together in a specified document format.

> RDF Schema defines classes and properties intended
> to be used anywhere, alone or in combination

Or more specifically:

    RDF Schema defines classes and properties intended
    to be used in RDF statements, either in isolation or
    in the context of a set of statements.

...though that is perhaps too wordy.

Tom

-- 
Tom Baker <tbaker@tbaker.de>

Received on Friday, 10 December 2010 01:04:13 UTC