Guy,
Apologies for the briefness of this response but I am deep time wasting
admin stuff for the office. Perhaps others will supplement this response.
Guy.A.Lukes-kgnU/9V7PNs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
To start with, I must say that I am not a topic map expert.
But in my resent attempt (with Bryan Thompson) to implement a topic map in
a relational database, I was shocked to discover that the underlying
database structure was only a slight modifications of RDF triples.
Can't comment on the simplicity of the relational database design, if it
was posted I missed it, but, do note that topic maps are much more than
"slight modifications of RDF triples."
RDF triples are "complete and unique facts."
Topic maps via assertions (Reference Model), associations (XTM/Data
Model) represent relationships between unambiguous subjects and the
subjects that make up those relationships. (read multiple r-topics,
multiple x-topics, plus a t-topic, in Reference Model terminology)
Both RDF and topic maps have a substantial amount of work devoted to
them and I don't see them as even competing technologies. They use
different underlying conceptions of how to organize information and as a
result work best in particular and often differing domains.
Not trying to start an RDF vs. topic map flame war so note I will not be
responding to any posts of that sort. Sole purpose was to point out the
the two are distinct and nothing more. Which one you choose depends upon
your domain, which is more familiar, etc.
Hope everyone is having a great day!
Patrick
The Subject is the a-node
The predicate is the r-node
The object is the x-node
All that was missing was a c-node to reify the triple
and a set of PSIs to implement subject roles (predicates/r-nodes/roles) to
support topicmap merging behavior.
This gives you the simplicity of the semantics free RDF triples, with the
power of topicmap subjects and merging (if you need it), plus the ability
to leverage all work that is going on in the RDF community.
Is there something I am missing, that is going to cause be problems down
the road?
Guy
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--
Patrick Durusau
Director of Research and Development
Society of Biblical Literature
Patrick.Durusau-Axl5Fd8bLORg9hUCZPvPmw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Chair, V1 - Text Processing: Office and Publishing Systems Interface
Co-Editor, ISO 13250, Topic Maps -- Reference Model
Topic Maps: Human, not artificial, intelligence at work!
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