[topicmapmail] what about a "non-hierarchical chart" ?

[Lance Otis]

Here are my thoughts on your comments:

Consider a model of a domain that is a two dimensional hierarchy with depth
and width:  is it not possible that an object not yet linked within the
hierarchy (for example: 'no hierarchy'), could be linked in a third
dimension to many items in the hierarchy? Further, is it not possible that
two 2-dimensional hierarchies could intersect along a third dimension? Could
a hierarchy be considered to be no more than a selection of useful nodes,
and links between these nodes, from an n-dimensional domain of node
relationships?

The n-dimensional data domain being modeled may consist of many nodes
associated with other nodes via links, commonly called arcs.  The art of
modeling (building a set of consistent hierarchies) lies in including those
associations and nodes in the model that are of interest, while omitting
irrelevant nodes and associations.  This requires an architecture that can
accommodate sets of associated objects as trees.  These trees are
associations selected from the network of possible associations in the
domain being modeled.  Multiple node association trees may be necessary to
form the basis of the model representing the domain.

For each association tree selected from the domain being modeled, inverted
association trees from any point in the hierarchy, should be generated so
that any object can be directly accessed as the central node of its own
hierarchy. Thus, instead of a non-hierarchical chart, we would have many
interconnected hierarchies.


-----Original Message-----
From: topicmapmail-admin@infoloom.com
[mailto:topicmapmail-admin@infoloom.com]On Behalf Of Jack Park
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000 10:17 AM
To: Bernard VATANT; topicmapmail@infoloom.com
Cc: Howard Liu
Subject: Re: [topicmapmail] what about a "non-hierarchical chart" ?


Make it so...I'm in :o)
I am wondering if there might be a bit of *non-Aristotelian* thinking here.
If we move away from hierarchical structure, taxonomic categorization, and
so forth, what will we get?

From: Bernard VATANT <b.vatant@wanadoo.fr>

> An example of what I mean by the hierarchical gateway syndrom :
>
> I proposed in my previous post to start an egroup about "no hierachy". But
> egroups.com is highly hierarchically indexed, following the ODP structure
> ... In what hierarchic subcategory should I class the "no hierarchy"
> subject, so that the classification makes any sense !? Looks to me some
> kind of zen enigma !
>
> Think I'd rather start a topic discussion at Quick Topic, where one can
> start from the middle of nowhere to begin with  ... Anyone interested
here,
> please contact me to join in !
>
> Bernard VATANT
> b.vatant@wanadoo.fr
> www.universimmedia.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> topicmapmail mailing list
> topicmapmail@infoloom.com
> http://www.infoloom.com/mailman/listinfo/topicmapmail


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