merge /solution / xtm-algebra

Hello XTM-Community,

how should we manage a set of Topic Maps we'd like to merge? 

I've had just an idea: lets construct a fuction xtm2xtm, which works
als follows (I know: I'm ashame of the basic-like notion; but I ensure
you: I've *not* used it for about 20 years :-)


05 let be integer i = 1

20 merge all XTM i+1, which are occurences 
   of the occurence Type XTM within XTM i

   (hint: iff one of the XTM i is referencing itself by means of an
   occurence, we have an self referencing function; otherwise, we have
   a hierarchically function; in either case we should use a fixpoint
   semantic to describe this function adequately)

30 if (the cardinality?) of XTM i equals (the cardinality?) of XTM i+1 
   then goto end

40 increase i by 1; loop to 20



The basic question:

- Has anybody had success yet with something like that? Or are there
  serious arguments against it?


The pragamtic question: 

- Which with tools would you perform this task? 

I know many of the XTM-browsers are capable of merging xtm. But it
would be nice to have something like a xslt-stylesheet, which can be
included into a pipeline of other xslt-applications.
(Is there a solution included within astma?)


The vision:

- Is there some work on something like a xtm-algebra going on? 
  Should'nt we have operators (and semantic interpretations) like
  join, intersection, transitive hull and so on?


thank you for help!
Johannes Busse

Ps: Some weeks ago I was asking whether we should make explicit our
associations roles for navigation. Steve Pepper considered this to be
a question of modelling practise; Thomas Passin found it sometimes
more useful displaying the role the association label. Thank you for
your help!

I decided to assign the roles of an association an important role in
modelling. The result (alfa-release, prototype!) can be visited under
   http://www.studbene.de/stm/

JB



-- 
herzliche Grüße
Johannes Busse
--
Dr. Johannes Busse,  Erziehungswiss. Seminar,  Univ.Heidelberg
Akademiestr.3, 69117 HD  |  Kellereigasse 3, 69 526 Ladenburg  
tel 06221 / 54-7531      |  tel 06203 / 95 35 83
http://www.jbusse.de        
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