One Perspective on the Value of XML Topic Maps

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One Perspective on theValue of XML Topic Maps

• Ron Daniel Jr.
• Standards Architect
• rdaniel_at_interwoven.com

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Agenda

• Preamble
• Categorization
• User Interfaces for Different Types of Users
• The Moral of the Story

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Preamble

• Interwoven
• Not a Topic Map Company (nor an HTML Company,
  )
• Interwovens view on Topic Maps
• They provide real value
• to two very different populations of interest
  to us
• Website designers/developers/operators
• Website visitors
• What is that value?
• How will people use topic maps?
• What will they see?

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Value Proposition In One Word
Categorization

• Categorization is a pervasive human behavior
• Friend/foe, edible/poisonous, hunter/prey,
• Organizational units, file folder hierarchies,
• Different groups see the world in different ways
• Reflected in their categorizations
• Multiple categorizations can be in effect at the
  same time
• Some groups have created massive standard
  categorizations (Dewey and LCSH in the library
  world, SNOMED in the medical world, DOE Thesauri,
  )
• Tools and content opportunities

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So?

• Categorization will be used to make web sites
  better
• Faster, easier, more interesting
• Most useful sites will follow the Five Laws
• Books (Information, web sites, records systems)
  are for use
• Every book its reader
• Every reader his or her book
• Save the readers time
• The library is a growing organism
• Topic Maps adoption will increase as a
  consequence of improved usability

The Five Laws of Library Science, S.V.
Ranganathan, Madras Library Association, ca. 1930
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How Will Site Visitors See the Maps?

• Like this

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(With Just a Couple of Little Bugs to Work Out )
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or Like This?
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and This?
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Lesson So Far

• Topic Maps will help visitors to navigate and
  discover information on Web sites
• (Every book its reader, every reader their book)
• User interfaces will only expose small portions
  of the Topics at any one time
• (Books are for use, save the readers time)
• Someone has to create and maintain the categories
  and categorize the data
• (The library is a growing organism)

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What About The Other Populations?

• What do the catalogers need?
• Speed
• Accuracy
• Operate on a single document at a time

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What Other Populations?

• At least three
• Creators of categorizations
• Maintainers of categories
• Analysts of categorized collections
• What do they need?
• How many of those needs does this display meet?
• What does North mean?

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What About Maintenance?

• Basic Tasks
• Update a node
• Remove a node
• Add a node
• Move a subtree
• Topic Maps will bring benefits of standard tools
  for merging and maintaining categories
• Benefits of competition

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So Why Am I Saying This?

• Topic Maps can deliver real value
• It is not because they are maps
• Most users should not see a complex interface
• Some specialists need a very elaborate UI
• Standard XTM format and tools will bring down
  costs
• Costs will be affected by the relative
  populations of
• Site Visitors
• Catalogers, Maintainers
• Analysts
• No tool or format makes it easy to create a good
  classification scheme