Michel Biezunski and Steve Newcomb have presented the Topic Maps Reference
Model splitting down the Topic Maps objects into a smaller generic molecule.
Putting this new model into perspective, Michel Biezunski opposed it to
the Standard Application Model (SAM) -based on a infoset paradigm to be
"what the industry is expecting" and consistent with XML community usages- as
what was needed on a more theoretical point of view.
While classical Topic Map models differentiate notions such as topics,
resources, associations, scopes, ... these objects are often similar and
partially interchangeable and the Reference Model goes behind their
differences to define a new concept named "assertion" more generic which can
be used to build the others.
Reference Model assertions are thus the basic building bloc or molecule of
Topic Maps like RDF statements are the basic molecule of RDF and this new
model might also be used to build a bridge between RDF and Topic Maps at a
deeper level than proposed during the Knowledge Technology
nocturne.
If that was the case, the work presented by Nikita
Ogievetsky at Extreme Markup 2001 could be a good starting point since it was
already built on the similarity between Topic Maps topics, members and
scopes.
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