On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 07:10, stuart yeates <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> RDF, unlike topic maps, is being used by substantial numbers of people who
> we interact with in the real world and would like to interoperate with. If
> we used RDF rather than topic maps internally, that interoperability would
> be much, much cheaper. It's tempting to say it's free, but it's not quite,
> because it does impose some constraints.

But it's not that hard to create a bridge from RDF to Topic Maps and
back, no? Or is your interop story different?

> In my eyes, the core thing that RDF supports that topic maps don't seem to
> is seamless reuse by people you don't care about.

Yes, this has been brought up on several occasions, including by me at
the TMRA 2008. But then, it's not so much that RDF does something that
Topic Maps doesn't *support*, it's that it's packaged differently. So,
where RDF has got five standard ontology levels (RDF, RDFS, OWL
DL/Lite/Full) Topic Maps got one simpler one (TMDM), yet neither can
express anything  better or differently than the other.

My theory here is that people *like* 5 layers of RDF, because it gives
the false sensation of choice. But it's all ontological definitions.
However, the 5 levels of RDF does indeed create a defined platform for
sharing (if not cast in iron), in which in the TM world you need to
include it / create it.

Oh, and of course the academics seem to have embraced W3C and anything
by the authority of TBL, and its effect is trickling down.

> For example the people at http://lcsubjects.org have never heard of us (that
> I know of), but we can use their URLs like
> http://lcsubjects.org/subjects/sh90005545#concept to represent our roles.

Not sure I understand your example. Here's my Topic Map identifier in
a Topic Map ;

   http://psi.ontopedia.net/Alexander_Johannesen

Identifier and locator, and resolvable, and can be used by anyone.


Regards,

Alex
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