RDF Thesauri and KOS API

> 
> Hi Alistair
> 
> Here are some comments, they are general preferences about good schema
> design rather than specific comments about these schemas but 
> I think they
> apply here, hope they are useful?
> 
> 1. using rdfs:label in the schemas would enable clients like 
> Haystack to
> automatically render RDF that uses this schema in a more pleasing way.
> 
> 2. adding appropriate rdfs:comments would mean that a human 
> reader would
> have a better chance of understanding the schema without 
> having to refer to
> a specification document. You have included a seeAlso link 
> which is good,
> but my preference would be to include this information at 
> least a subset of
> this information in the schema if possible.

I agree totally, labels and comments are coming soon.

> In addition, the other thing which I would help my understanding is a
> description of how you expect these thesauri to be processed? 
> For example,
> if we queried a knowledge base for all instances of term a, 
> would we also
> expect to get back instances of term of which is a narrower 
> version of a?
> Perhaps you have such a description already - if so could you 
> point me at
> it?

These kinds of questions I think fall under the remit of our development of
a web API for interacting with a thesaurus service.  My preference is to
keep such an API wholly concept-oriented.  So the interaction might look
like ...

User enters search string (regular expression)
-> Thesaurus server returns all concepts with labels that match the query.
User requests broader/narrower/all relatives of a specific concept
-> Thesaurus server returns requested concepts

Such an API could easily include the option to return a closure of all
narrower concepts, or just the direct narrower concepts.  This could be a
parameter of the method call cf. Jena API.
 
Does this answer your question?
 
I've put my suggestion for a KOS API online at
<http://www.w3c.rl.ac.uk/SWAD/api/kosAPI.txt>, though this will probably
change as we examine the use cases further.

Yours,

Alistair.



> best regards,
> 
> Dr Mark H. Butler
> Research Scientist                HP Labs Bristol
> mark-h_butler@hp.com
> Internet: http://www-uk.hpl.hp.com/people/marbut/
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Miles, AJ (Alistair) [mailto:A.J.Miles@rl.ac.uk]
> > Sent: 25 November 2003 13:46
> > To: 'www-rdf-dspace@w3.org'
> > Subject: RDF schemas for thesauri and simple KOS *pre-release*
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > > Dear all,
> > > 
> > > I offer these schemas as a pre-release, to get some initial 
> > feedback and
> > > response on their design.
> > > 
> > > SKOS-Core <http://www.w3c.rl.ac.uk/2003/11/21-skos-core> 
> > (RDF schema for
> > > encoding thesauri and other simple knowledge organisation 
> > systems e.g.
> > > taxonomies and classification schemes.)
> > > 
> > > SKOS-Mapping 
> > <http://www.w3c.rl.ac.uk/2003/11/21-skos-mapping> (RDF schema
> > > for expressing mappings between concepts from different thesauri.)
> > > 
> > > This work is ongoing in the context of the SWAD-Europe 
> > project [1] [2].
> > > 
> > > Yours,
> > > 
> > > Alistair Miles.
> > > 
> > > [1] SWAD-Europe Thesaurus Activity
> > > <http://www.w3c.rl.ac.uk/SWAD/thesaurus.html>
> > > [2] Semantic Web Advanced Development for Europe project
> > > <http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/Europe/>
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 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
> > > Telephone: +44 (0)1235 445440
> > > 
> > > 
> > 
>

Received on Wednesday, 26 November 2003 11:03:55 UTC