[topicmapmail] Contextualized Topic Maps.

[Murray Altheim]

Thomas Schwotzer wrote:
> Hi,
>
>>No change. It's always been this way. From XTM 1.0:
>>
>>  "An association is a relationship between one or more topics, each
>>   of which plays a role as a member of that association. The roles
>>   a topic plays in associations are among the characteristics that
>>   can be assigned to it and are therefore governed by scope."
>>   http://www.topicmaps.org/xtm/1.0/#desc-association
> 
> 
> I'm afraid its hairsplitting. Anyway:
> "The roles a topic plays in associations are among the characteristics
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> that can be assigned to it and are therefore governed by scope."
> 
> Roles played by a topic can be scoped, not the association itself.
> That's different, isn't it?

Okay, it's different. If you want to read the specification yourself,
you will find that associations can be scoped. They have always been
able to be scoped in XTM.

   <!ELEMENT association
      ( instanceOf?, scope?, member+ )
   >

> I often read about "associations between topics" which is in my
> understanding a linguistic shortcut for "two topics both playing
> roles in one association".

Close. "any number of topics both playing roles in one association".

> Furthermore, both roles can be scoped even with different scopes.
> Thus, validity of a relation between both topics can depend
> on two scopes not just one. There can be more than just a single
> scope for one association.
> 
> Am I wrong? I'm sorry, if so.

n scopes. The association, and each of the members. Associations
are n-ary, i.e., there is no limit to the number of members in
associations. But apart from there not being a binary limit, you're
substantially correct.

[...]
>>Sounds like a very cool application. I'm certain people on this list
>>would be happy to have a link to information about the project.
> 
> The thesis can be found here:
> http://ivs.tu-berlin.de/~thsc/lbsxtm/
> It's written in German, sorry.
> I guess he should write an English paper about it.
> There was also an article in a German magazin this year:
> iX 02/04.

Technical German is not one of my major skills, but I'll make a
go of it.

Thanks!

Murray

......................................................................
Murray Altheim                    http://kmi.open.ac.uk/people/murray/
Knowledge Media Institute
The Open University, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK7 6AA, UK               .

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When he first invented the printing press
    in the fifteenth century, Johannes Gutenberg used it to fashion
    frivolous little things like sets of playing cards. Only later
    did he put it to work mass-producing books, turning it into a
    revolutionary tool for disseminating information. I foresee a
    similar evolution for you in the coming weeks, Leo. In the early
    going, you'll employ a wonderful new resource in a relatively
    impractical way; or maybe a big, fresh idea will first appear in
    a trivial context. Not to worry, though. After the initial false
    starts and wasteful experiments, you will ultimately discover an
    elegant use for your innovation. Be patient.      -- Rob Brezsny