[topicmapmail] Dictionary

[H. Holger Rath]

Hi,

Bob Parks wrote:
> 
> Lars,
> Thanks for the response. You asked:
>
> >Are you asking for
> >advice on how to turn your dictionary into a topic map? How to
> >represent it as a topic map? How to implement searching in it once it
> >has become a topic map? Or how to integrate the dictionary with other
> >data that is in topic map form?
> 
> The answer is "yes" ... ;-)    We would like to do all those things.
> The most important are (1) representing the dictionary as a topic
> map; and (2) integrating the dictionary with other text represented
> as topic maps.
> 
> (1) We have a data model for presenting the dictionary now, and are
> considering how to display it with visual tools such as InXight's
> StarTree.  

Have you already taken a look at empolis k42 and its integration of
the inxight StarTree as graphical visualization tool for topic map
navigation?

Click in the StarTree link on k42's demo page (you have to use IE 5.5):
http://k42.empolis.co.uk/demo/demo.html

And as k42 is part of the empolis Knowledge Suite you would be able to
use the topic map as knowledge model for our AI-driven (Case-Based Reasoning)
'find' technology orenge. This means that you could seamlessly switch between
explorative browsing the topic map in the star tree and starting intelligent 
queries from the tree to find some resources containing the topic you started
the query for. But you also get for every resource the list of topics, which
are somehow covered by the text (e.g., as highlighted words), and you are
able to click on these words to get back to the topic map in the star tree.
Furthermore, orenge could be used as profile driven notification tool, which 
notifies the user when some resource matching her profile has been added to the
system.

I could imagine that both would be nice features for Wordsmyth. You can find more
about orenge at http://km.empolis.com/start.htm (click on "Products" and "Demos").

> The user needs to have as few visible links as possible
> between one word and the next - preferably:
>         WORD:RELATION:WORD.
> But our synonymy is linked to particular definitions, so we then have:
>         WORD:CONCEPT/DEFINITION:RELATION:WORD
> And the entries must take account of part-of-speech (POS), so we have:
>         WORD:POS:DEF:RELATION:WORD:
> And Homographs (words spelled alike but semantically dissimilar) require:
>         WORD:HOMO:POS:DEF:RELATION:WORD
> 
> Most of this information is usually not needed by the user, so it can
> be suppressed.   The question is, how would be best to turn this sort
> of a semantic model into a topic map.

Depending if you only want to convert your Wordsmyth database for intelligent
read-only access to a TM or if you want to move also your editorial system
on top of a topic map software.

If it is only access you have in mind then I would propose to "convert" only
those part of your database into a TM that are needed in the display. If
you want to migrate your editing environment as well (which could make a lot
of sense) then you should use scope or specific topic and assoc classes (types),
to distinguish between editing and display.
 
> (2) I have been assuming that the dictionary can be linked with any
> text regardless of whether that text is stored/represented as a topic
> map.  

You can link topics to resources (= occurrence) or with other topics
(= association).

> But I am wondering if there is a way to more intimately bring
> the dictionary and topic maps together. 

I thought you would like to model your dictionary as TM. Maybe I
misunderstood you.

> If topic maps are "indexes"
> of text (i.e., a particular way of representing and storing entries
> that function as an index of the text), then there must be effective
> tools for getting the text organized - i.e., indexing the text by
> linking the words with particular concepts or concept types.  

This is for example something the empolis product orenge can do for 
you (as described above): finding of resources as occurrences for 
certain topics.

This could be done completely automatic (e.g., during navigation of the
map) or semi-automatic (e.g., during an editorial process when orenge
just provides the editor with a suggestion list for resources, which
could/might be used as occurrences for a certain topic).

> The basic perspective behind my interest is to use the dictionary
> definitions/concepts as a "starter kit" for indexers or creators of
> topic maps, where the concepts/topics they index may or may not be
> represented in the dictionary.

Good idea! Many TM users complain about the effort they have to
put in manual creation of the TM. This would be a good starting
point.

> Hope this helps....  though I may only have communicated my lack of
> understanding.

Well, I think you got the TM ideas quite good.

Regards,
--Holger

-- 
Dr. H. Holger Rath
- Director Research & Development -

empolis * GmbH
Bertelsmann MOHN Media Group
Technologiepark Pav. 17
97222 Rimpar, Germany

phone :  +49-172-66-90-427
fax   :  +49-9365-8062-250

<mailto:holger.rath@empolis.com>
http://www.empolis.com