[topicmapmail] basics II - Inheritance in Topic Maps

Lieberknecht, Katharina Katharina.Lieberknecht@astrium-space.com
Mon, 2 Jun 2003 17:02:18 +0200


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Hello,
thank you all for your answers on subject basics.
Here is basics II and I would be grateful again for any help.

My question is,
how does inheritance work with topic maps?


I want to make a tm only with the general relationship "is-related-to
(somehow)" 
And the more specialized "superclass-subclass" (is-a) relationship.

Now I wonder whether instances of the topics inherit from their topic types?
And if, how far backwards do they inherit?
Are there rules for inheritance?

Example:

Science super-to physics
    physics super-to acoustics
    physics super-to mechanics
    physics super-to optics
                                                                     optical
element is-related-to optics	
    optical element super-to lenses
    optical element super-to mirrors	
                                                                     optical
element is-related-to photographic equipment
    photographic equipment super-to camera
 
my_camera is-instance of camera

1. Is my_camera then automatically related-to optical elements, optics,
physics and science?

Going further

 
acoustic element is-related-to acoustic
    acoustic element super-to amplifier
       amplifier super-to audio amplifier

2. Is audio amplifier or just amplifier then related to physics and then
related to my_camera?
    Or to be more precise, does an application infer audio amplifier to be
related to my_camera?


greetings
Kathy

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<TITLE>basics II - Inheritance in Topic Maps</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Hello,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">thank you all for your answers on =
subject basics.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Here is basics II and I would be =
grateful again for any help.</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">My question is,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">how does inheritance work with topic =
maps?</FONT>
</P>
<BR>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I want to make a tm only with the =
general relationship &quot;is-related-to (somehow)&quot; </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">And the more specialized =
&quot;superclass-subclass&quot; (is-a) relationship.</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Now I wonder whether instances of the =
topics inherit from their topic types?</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">And if, how far backwards do they =
inherit?</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Are there rules for =
inheritance?</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Example:</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Science super-to physics</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; physics super-to =
acoustics</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; physics super-to =
mechanics</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; physics super-to =
optics</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; optical =
element is-related-to optics&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; optical element =
super-to lenses</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; optical element =
super-to mirrors&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; optical =
element is-related-to photographic equipment</FONT></P>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; photographic =
equipment super-to camera</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
my_camera is-instance of camera</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">1. Is my_camera then automatically =
related-to optical elements, optics, physics and science?</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Going further</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
acoustic element is-related-to acoustic</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; acoustic element =
super-to amplifier</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
amplifier super-to audio amplifier</FONT>
</P>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">2. Is audio amplifier or just =
amplifier then related to physics and then related to my_camera?</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Or to be more =
precise, does an application infer audio amplifier to be related to =
my_camera?</FONT>
</P>
<BR>

<P><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">greetings</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Kathy</FONT>
</P>

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