Topic Maps - Recommended Reading
Topic Maps is an ISO standard designed to address the problem of Information Access Management. It is a generic, open standard for capturing knowledge in the form of topics (people, places, projects, companies etc etc), the connections between these topics (associations) and the relationship these topics have to pieces of information, such as web pages, documents etc.
The Topic Maps standard underpins the technology provided by NetworkedPlanet. In this section of the site, we gather together papers and links to articles about topic maps.
NetworkedPlanet Papers on Topic Maps
- An Introduction To Topic Maps is a good place to start. This article introduces all of the basic principles of the topic maps paradigm. A version of this article can also be found on the Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN), with an additional section on topic map patterns.
- Applying Topic Maps to Application Architecture is a follow-up article to the Introduction to Topic Maps, also written for MSDN. This article talks about patterns for the use of topic maps in enterprise architecture and some of the key benefits of taking an ontology- and pattern-drive approach to system design and architecture using a flexible data model like Topic Maps.
- Topic Maps In Web-Site Architecture (PDF Format). This paper outlines the role that topic maps can play in the Information Architecture and Systems Architecture of web-sites. The challenges in creating and maintaining content-rich web-sites are outlined from the perspective of the Information Architect, the Systems Architect and the Content Creator. The main bulk of this paper focuses on the strategies for managing site navigation using topic maps and for integrating content from multiple sources on a topic maps-driven web-site. Our goal is to encourage further discussion about these strategies and the implementation patterns that support them.
- Topic Map Relational Query Language - TMRQL (PDF Format). Topic Map Relational Query Language (TMRQL) has been designed in order to provide a sound foundation for querying topics maps. To this end it does not define an entire new language but instead presents a core set of abstract relational views.
We will be adding more articles to this section soon!
Papers by NetworkedPlanet Personnel
Over the years we have collectively written a large number of papers on the subject of topic maps. The following are some of our favourites.
- Topic Maps for Repositories - an early paper by Kal Ahmed exploring the potential for using topic maps in conjunction with content management systems and other forms of content repository.
- Introducing Topic Maps - an introductory text on topic maps first published in XML Journal.
- A Practical Introduction to Topic Maps - walks through all of the basic constructs of topic maps and presents the XML Topic Maps (XTM) syntax.
- Topic Map Design Patterns for Information Architecture - discusses the desirability of design patterns for topic map applications and presents some basic patterns that reflect the structures commonly found in IA such as hierarchical and faceted classification. This paper also introduces a UML notation for describing topic map ontologies.
- Topic Map Fragment Exchange in a Peer-to-Peer Application - describes a peer-to-peer topic map sharing application and goes into the detail of an XML-based protocol for exchanging small portions of a topic map between collaborating peers.