[topicmapmail] Topic maps vs concept maps

[Robert Barta]

On Wed, Dec 11, 2002 at 10:13:49AM -0500, Dichev, Christo wrote:
> Can anyone explain to me and help me see more clearly the difference between
> concept maps and topic maps, especially from the view point of Web-based 
> educational systems.

Christo,

When concept maps use links to express relationships, TMs use associations.
Associations bring together

  - topics which play a role
  - topics which are the player of a role
  - what is the nature of this association
  - [ and the scope ]

Thus associations connect within ONE statement quite a few topics, much more
expressive than, say, RDF. For me the topics themselves are only added fluff: 

  - naming,
  - some URLs/URIs,
  - maybe some text or other data.

(Sorry for the simplifications)

Teaching myself (mostly web application stuff and Internet related things) we
use TMs for a while now. We used to have a web visualizer (and will have another
one), but I found it also rather productive to let students do the TopicMapping
themselves. This really has forced some of them to organize their "knowledge".

I am careful with the term "knowledge" here, because TMs usually do not contain
"deep reasoning structures", their are what their name insinuates: maps. And
as such they have a limit what you can express. And they SHOULD have this limit
otherwise they would not be a candidate for SemanticWeb applications.

\rho