Some URLs JODI Paper – Harmony project –

Harmony Project DSTC/JISC/NSF funding Assumption –There is no lingua franca for metadata (Warwick Framework to RDF and XML namespaces) Although things like DC may provide basis for pidgin exchange Goal –Investigate common principles and concepts underlying multiple descriptive models

ABC Goals Conceptual basis for understanding and analyzing existing metadata vocabularies and models Provide conceptual guidance to communities developing metadata models Provide a basis for mapping among vocabularies and models

Roots and Collaborations DCMI MPEG-7 CIDOC/CRM INDECS CIMI RDF DAML Conceptual Graphs IFLA FRBR

Some untested hypotheses Metadata is useful More metadata is better Metadata serves multiple purposes – descriptive, structure, preservation/provenance, terms & conditions (semi) automated digital libraries and simple metadata

Some known facts Number and variety of metadata vocabularies will continue to increase “The one thing I know about metadata is that it is expensive”

The fiction of classification …there is no classification of the universe that is not fictional and conjectural. Jorge Luis Borges

Lenses and Views All classification does and should provide a biased lens or view of reality Each view emphasizes certain characteristics and hides others Geospatial Rights Museum

Reality is Complex Created by: George Castaldo Created on: 1994 Created by: Leonardo da Vinci Created on: 1506 Relationship?

Objects are Related IFLA Entity Model

Entities, Events, and Agents Photographe r Camera type Software Computer artist

Attribute/Value approaches to metadata… Hamlet has a creator Shakespeare subjectimplied verbmetadata nounliteral Playwright metadata adjective The playwright of Hamlet was Shakespeare R1 “ Shakespeare ” “ Hamlet ” dc:creator.playwright dc:title

…run into problems for richer descriptions… Hamlet has a creator Stratford birthplace The playwright of Hamlet was Shakespeare, who was born in Stratford “ Stratford ” R1 “ Shakespeare ” dc:creator.playwright dc:creator.birthplace Hamlet has a creator Shakespeare

…because of their failure to model entity distinctions R1 “ Stratford ” creator R2 name “ Shakespeare ” birthplace title “ Hamlet ”