2012-01-05. Frozen archive - links may not resolve - see directory of files at MoinMoin wiki archive

> TermDecisionTree

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Note 2007-12-13: This version is being frozen - editing continues at http://dublincore.org/usageboardwiki/TermDecisionTree.

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DCMI-compliant 'term' decision tree

AndyPowell
Eduserv Foundation
December 2005

This document is currently under development. It is being worked on by the [Self]DC RDF Taskforce. Comments should be sent to the [WWW]dc-rdf-taskforce@jiscmail.ac.uk mailing list.

Introduction

This decision tree can be used to see if something is a DCMI-compliant element, element refinement or encoding scheme, where "DCMI-compliant" means conformant with the DCMI Abstract Model and therefore suitable for use in DC metadata descriptions.

Note that in the following text, the italicised terms are defined in the terminology section below.

Decision tree

  1. Has the thing been explicitly declared as a DCMI element (i.e. as an RDF property)?

  2. Have the expected values of the element been assigned value URIs or can they be represented using simple value strings (plain text strings)?

  3. Has the thing been explicitly declared as a DCMI element refinement (i.e. as an RDF property)?

  4. Have the expected values of the element refinement been assigned value URIs or can they be represented using simple value strings (plain text strings)?

  5. Has the thing been explicitly declared as a DCMI syntax encoding scheme?

  6. Are all the valid constructs according to the syntax encoding scheme simple value strings (plain text strings)?

  7. Has the thing been explicitly declared as a DCMI vocabulary encoding scheme?

  8. Have all the valid members of the vocabulary encoding scheme resources been assigned value URIs or can they be represented using simple value strings (plain text strings)?

  9. Has the thing been assigned a URI (a property URI or an encoding scheme URI)?

dc-term-decision-tree.gif

Notes

Best practice for serving representations of metadata terms using HTTP is still emerging. DCMI suggests the approach recommended above. Further, DCMI suggests serving an RDF declaration for each term that includes enough contextual information to interpret the term in the context of related terms. For example, it may be sensible to serve an RDF declaration for all the terms in a given namespace as the representation of each of the individual terms within that namespace.

New terms that are proposed during the creation of an application profile may be temporarily assigned term URIs using the example.org domain name, pending the assignment of a proper term URI by the DCMI Usage Board. In this case, the criteria concerning dereferencing the URI to obtain a human-readbale or machine-reable representation of the term do not apply.

The diagram above is also available as a MS-Powerpoint file.

Terminology

''class''

A group containing members that have attributes, behaviours, relationships or semantics in common; a kind of category.

''class URI''

A URI that identifies a class.

''element''

A property of a resource.

''element refinement''

A property of a resource that shares the meaning of a particular DCMI property but with narrower semantics. Since element refinements are properties, they can be used in metadata descriptions independently of the properties they refine.

''encoding scheme''

A vocabulary encoding scheme or a syntax encoding scheme.

''encoding scheme URI''

A vocabulary encoding scheme URI or a syntax encoding scheme URI.

''property''

A specific aspect, characteristic, attribute, or relation used to describe resources.

''property URI''

A URI that identifies a single property.

''syntax encoding scheme''

An indication that the value string is formatted in accordance with a formal notation, such as "2000-01-01" as the standard expression of a date.

''syntax encoding scheme URI''

A URI that identifies a syntax encoding scheme.

''term''

A property (i.e. element or element refinement), vocabulary encoding scheme, syntax encoding scheme or concept taken from a controlled vocabulary (concept space).

''term URI''

A URI that identifies a term.

''vocabulary encoding scheme''

A class that indicates that the value of a property is taken from a controlled vocabulary (or concept-space), such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings.

''vocabulary encoding scheme URI''

A URI that identifies a vocabulary encoding scheme.