[topicmapmail] Why Topic Maps (a collaborative effort)

[Kal Ahmed]

On Thursday 30 May 2002 08:06, Jan Algermissen wrote:
>
> Why should topic maps be used for information organisation ?
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> * Topic maps appear as an additional navigation and access layer
>   on top of existing information resources, they DO NOT require
>   that these information resource be modified, nor do they interfer
>   with any existing processes these resources are involved in.
>
> * The topic naming constraint fulfills one of the primary objectives
>   of information organisation: vocabulary control.
>
> * The modularization capabilities of the topic maps paradigm support
>   distributed and/or iterative development of knowledge structures.
>
> * Topic Maps provide the semantics to distinguish between addressable
>   subjects (information resources themselves) and non-addressable subje=
cts
>   (subjects that information resources are about)
>
> * ...

All very good points.=20

There is something else which I think that many of us on this list often =
lose=20
sight of. That is that the topic map paradigm is incredibly simple and=20
intuitive. Things with names and resources; and relationships between thi=
ngs.=20
With all the discussion of PSIs and formal models and expressing logic=20
systems (all good stuff, don't get me wrong on that), it is easy to forge=
t=20
how easy topic maps are to use. ;-)

Oh yes, and a standard interchange syntax (or plethora of interchange=20
syntaxes) can't be a bad thing either.

Cheers,

Kal
--=20
Kal Ahmed, techquila.com
XML and Topic Map Consultancy

e: kal@techquila.com
p: +44 7968 529531
w: www.techquila.com