The Vocabulary Mapping Framework matrix

1
The Vocabulary Mapping Framework matrix

• Gordon Dunsire
• Presented to the Workshop on Conceptual Modelling
  for Archives, Libraries and Museums
• 28-29 Jan 2010, National Gallery, Helsinki

2
Vocabulary Mapping Framework

• Funded by UKs Joint Information Systems
  Committee (JISC)
• Only first stage funded
• Major expansion of the RDA/ONIX framework for
  resource categorization
• To create a tool to support the automated mapping
  of vocabularies from metadata standards of use to
  the JISC community
• Research, teaching, learning environments
• Project conducted during second half of 2009

3
A starting point RDA outreach

• Resource Description and Access
• RDA outreach to other communities
• RDA/ONIX framework
• RDA and publishing community
• DCMI (Dublin Core Metadata Initiative) RDA Task
  Group
• Members from Dublin Core, IEEE-Learning Object
  Metadata, RDA, and W3C communities
• Expressing RDA element set and value vocabularies
  in Resource Description Framework (RDF)
• See D-Lib Magazine January/February 2010

4
RDA alignment

• RDA alignment with recent metadata models
  developed by IFLA (International Federation of
  Library Associations and Institutions)
• Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records
  (FRBR)
• Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD)
• Statement of International Cataloguing Principles
• Stimulated IFLA project to develop RDF
  representation of FRBR (entity-relationship)
  model
• RDF awaiting final approval

5
Other IFLA activity

• Study group to consider RDF/XML representation of
  International Standard Bibliographic Description
  (ISBD)
• Model underpinning many national cataloguing
  schema, including MARC21
• Task group to consider general support for
  RDF/XML namespaces for IFLA standards
• Consolidation of FR family of models, including
  Functional Requirements for Subject Authority
  Data (FRSAD) when finalised (2010)

6
Linked data (2009, mostly)

• Increasing presence of expert metadata in the
  linked data pool
• Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
• With relators to Rameau (French subject heading
  scheme) terms
• Top-level Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
  notations and captions (1000)
• In 9 languages
• Top-level Universal Decimal Classification (UDC)
  notations and captions real soon now

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Opportunities and possibilities

• If metadata schema (MARC21, UNIMARC, RDA, ISBD)
  in RDF
• Then easier to parse instance data (catalogue
  records) into RDF
• If very large quantities of legacy instance data
  available in RDF
• Then latent associations (relationships) can be
  identified using statistical inferencing
• E.g. Mapping of DDC notations to LCSH (WebDewey)
• If critical mass of rich (diverse) RDF triples
• Then utility of Semantic Web increases

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VMF requirements

• VMF goal is to automatically compute the best
  fit mappings between any two pre-defined
  vocabularies
• Scalable and extensible to accommodate new and
  changing vocabularies
• Flexible to allow engagement by different
  communities in various stages of vocabulary
  development and mapping
• Non-prescriptive to encourage uptake
• And allow use beyond VMF (and RDF) environment

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VMF vocabularies

• FRAD, FRBR, MARC21, RDA (libraries)
• ONIX (book/serials publishing)
• DDEX (recorded music)
• Dublin Core (web metadata)
• LOM SCORM (education)
• DOI (any content)
• CIDOC CRM (museums and archives)
• MPEG21 RDD (digital rights)
• RDA ONIX Framework (libraries and publishing)
• Focus on Resource and Party (Agent) categories
  and relators between them
• Increasing use of relators instead of attributes

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VMF data model

• Based on Rightscoms COA model, which grew from
  the ltindecsgt framework
• Has much in common with FRBR and CIDOC CRM
• Terms are mapped into an ontology (the VMF
  matrix) built up from families of concepts
  based on verbs
• Concept families provide all possible points
  (nodes) in the VMF matrix for vocabulary terms
  to be mapped.
• Nodes are generated automatically

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Concept family

• Accommodates terms for roles, bi-directional
  relator pairs, uni-directional relators
  (properties), classes and attributes
• FRBR class Choreography
• vmfChoreographedDance
• RDA role choreographer
• vmfChoreographedDance_DanceChoreographer
• RDA/ONIX attribute language
• vmfLexicalWork
• DDEX role Author
• VmfLexicalWork_Writer

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Mapping to the matrix
Every term in a vocabulary is given an equivalent
term in a VMF concept family
onixTranslated by
ddexTranslator
DdexSubtitlesTranslator
onixTranslated with commentary by
From Godfrey Rust (Rightscom) How the VMF
matrix works, Nov 2009
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Mapping scheme to scheme
Queries can then be used to find the best fit
mappings between two terms or complete
vocabularies.
vmfWordsCreator
vmfAdaptor
vmfWordsAdaptor
vmfCommentator
onixTranslated by
vmfTranslator
ddexTranslator
vmfSubtitlesTranslator
ddexSubtitlesTranslator
vmfTranslatorAndCommentator
onixTranslated with commentary by
From Godfrey Rust (Rightscom) How the VMF
matrix works, Nov 2009
14
Mapping scheme to scheme
Queries can then be used to find the best fit
mappings between two terms or complete
vocabularies.
vmfWordsCreator
vmfAdaptor
vmfWordsAdaptor
vmfCommentator
onixTranslated by
vmfTranslator
ddexTranslator
vmfSubtitlesTranslator
DdexSubtitlesTranslator
onixTranslated with commentary by
vmfTranslatorAndCommentator
From Godfrey Rust (Rightscom) How the VMF
matrix works, Nov 2009
15
VMF matrix

• Available (some constraints) from
• http//cdlr.strath.ac.uk/VMF/documents.htm
• Contains approximately
• 10 schemes
• 53 vocabularies mapped in whole or part
• 500 concept families
• 8000 unique terms
• 30,000 RDF triples
• RDF triples in TTL format
• With or without sample vocabulary mappings
• Some documentation also available

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Some applications

• Metadata cross-walks
• Between different vocabularies
• E.g. Publisher metadata (ONIX) and library
  metadata (RDA)
• Mapping of local, bespoke metadata schemes
• From local scheme to global framework
• Local metadata often specialised, specific, and
  unique

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Identification

• VMF namespace URI for every mapped vocabulary
  term
• Linked to published (scheme) URI for term
• Scheme URI to be used as external referent
• VMF is a black box
• If term not mapped within VMF
• Add to VMF
• Forces review of internal VMF mappings
• If no scheme URI, use VMF URI as referent?
• Map to term already mapped within VMF
• owlequivalentClass owlequivalentProperty

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Thank you

• g.dunsire_at_strath.ac.uk
• VMF website
• http//cdlr.strath.ac.uk/VMF/