[topicmapmail] Open Source Options?

[Steve Pepper]

Hi Bob,

No, I don't know of any work on EuroWordNet using Topic Maps. Perhaps
someone else on the list knows something?

It's a long time since I looked at the WordNet ontology, but I would imagine
you could build something like that using Ontopoly (provided you were OK
using typed names instead of scoped names to distinguish different
languages).

Steve


| -----Original Message-----
| From: Robert Parks [mailto:bobp at lightlink.com]
| Sent: 26 July 2007 18:57
| To: Steve Pepper; 'Gary Kopp'; topicmapmail at infoloom.com
| Subject: RE: [topicmapmail] Open Source Options?
| 
| Hi Steve,
| Has anyone used Ontopia, or another Topic Map tool with the
| Euro-WordNet data?  I'd like to find software that will allow me to
| create a small multi-lingual semantic network (multi-lingual
| dictionary with semantic relations thesaurus) for language learning.
| Any pointers would be very much appreciated!
| Thanks,
| Bob
| 
| At 10:58 AM +0200 7/26/07, Steve Pepper wrote:
| >* Gary Kopp
| >|
| >| My real question is whether I have any "inexpensive" options
| >| for off-the-shelf topic map editing software.
| >
| >Hi Gary,
| >
| >I highly recommend Ontopia's free ontology-driven editor Ontopoly [1].
| >
| >I have been using it recently for several of my own topic maps (although
| not
| >yet the Italian Opera topic map) and found it a joy to work with. (I can
| say
| >that now that I'm no longer with Ontopia and in any case wasn't very
| >involved in the tool's original design and development :-)
| >
| >Like any tool that does a lot of clever stuff, the interface takes a
| little
| >getting used to, but - believe me - it's well worth making the effort.
| >
| >Creating topic maps is a two-step process: First you design the ontology.
| >(In your case you could start with the MyThesaurus ontology, based on
| SKOS,
| >which is included in the distribution.) Then you populate the topic map
| via
| >a forms-based interface that is automatically configured for each topic
| type
| >based on the information in the ontology: input fields and drop-down
| lists
| >are generated for creating identifiers, names, occurrences and
| associations,
| >and you even get to control the order and appearance of those fields.
| >
| >You should be aware that a deliberate design decision was taken (in order
| to
| >keep the user interface simple) *not* to support the full panoply of
| Topic
| >Maps features, in particular reification, scope, and variant names, in
| the
| >first version of Ontopoly. I would dearly like to have scope (at least on
| >names), in order to support multilingual topic maps. I have also
| >occasionally missed having sort names (which require variants).
| >
| >The good news is that there are workarounds for both of these: Firstly,
| >Ontopoly supports typed names (an XTM 2.0 feature which goes some way to
| >providing multilingual capabilities). Secondly, Ontopoly respects
| >unsupported Topic Maps constructs, provided they are valid. This means
| you
| >can tweak your XTM file outside Ontopoly (for example, by adding a
| <variant>
| >element using an XML editor) and then continue editing in Ontopoly. You
| >won't be able to edit the unsupported construct, but Ontopoly won't barf
| >either, nor will it remove the additional information.
| >
| >Ontopoly is part of the OKS Samplers, which also includes the Omnigator
| >topic map browser.
| >
| >Steve
| >
| >[1] http://www.ontopia.net/download/freedownload.html
| >
| >
| >| -----Original Message-----
| >| From: topicmapmail-bounces at infoloom.com [mailto:topicmapmail-
| >| bounces at infoloom.com] On Behalf Of Gary Kopp
| >| Sent: 26 July 2007 05:57
| >| To: topicmapmail at infoloom.com
| >| Subject: [topicmapmail] Open Source Options?
| >|
| >| Warning: newbie is here. I have studied the theory and application of
| >| topic
| >| maps, and I would like to use them in the building and management of
| >| thesauri for various technical writing projects. But from what I've
| been
| >| able to determine this is a technology that is currently only being
| served
| >| well by various commercial companies, all of which seem to have set
| >| relatively high prices for their topic map "suites." There are some
| open
| >| source APIs (TM4J and PHPTMAPI), but no actively maintained open source
| >| topic map creation/editing software that I've been able to locate. The
| >| closest I've come is Wandora, which is only "free" for non-commercial
| use
| >| (and I haven't found anything concerning pricing for commercial use).
| >|
| >| Am I missing anything? I'm thinking about building my own editing
| >| environment using, say, TM4J, but in the interim I would sure like to
| be
| >| able to create and edit topic maps with an inexpensive, preferably open
| >| source, tool. If such a beast doesn't exist, another option I'm
| >| considering
| >| is creating thesauri using SKOS, taking an RDF-based approach. There
| isn't
| >| much tool support there either (there is at least one open source
| editor,
| >| ThManager, that might suit me), but my gut feel is that custom coding
| >| around
| >| SKOS/RDF would be easier than around a TM API, especially since I can
| hook
| >| into existing RDF editors and extend them to deal with the SKOS
| >vocabulary.
| >|
| >| I guess a topic maps forum isn't the right place for me to march out my
| >| brainstorming on topic maps vs. RDF approaches to thesauri. My real
| >| question
| >| is whether I have any "inexpensive" options for off-the-shelf topic map
| >| editing software.
| >|
| >| --Gary Kopp
| >|
| >| _______________________________________________
| >| topicmapmail mailing list
| >| topicmapmail at infoloom.com
| >| http://www.infoloom.com/mailman/listinfo/topicmapmail
| >
| >_______________________________________________
| >topicmapmail mailing list
| >topicmapmail at infoloom.com
| >http://www.infoloom.com/mailman/listinfo/topicmapmail
| 
| 
| --
| *  The best dictionary and integrated thesaurus on the web:
| http://www.wordsmyth.net
| *  Robert Parks - Wordsmyth - (607) 272-2190
| * "To imagine a language is to imagine a form of life."  (LW)
| * "Philosophers have only interpreted the world. The point, however,
| is to change it." (KM)
| *  In communicating - speaking and writing - we create community.
| Through this participation we hone our words till their meaning
| potential taps into the rich voice of our full human potential.