Integrated Access to Illuminated Manuscripts
N.B.: this is an example use case, which does not intend to represent any official position or plan of the institutes mentioned
Contents:
Contents
Application section
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Section 1. Application
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In this section we ask you to provide some information about the application for which the vocabulary(ies) and or vocabulary mappings are being used.
Please note:
-- If your use case does not involve any specific application, but consists rather in the description of a specific vocabulary, skip straight to Section 2.
-- If your application makes use of links between different vocabularies, do not forget to fill in Section 3!
1.1. What is the title of the application?
An integrated view to medieval illuminated manuscripts [N.B.: this is an example use case, which does not intend to represent any official position or plan of the institutes mentioned]
1.2. What is the general purpose of the application?
What services does it provide to the end-user?
To provide the user with access to 2 collections of illuminated manuscripts from different libraries, accessible online at http:// www.kb.nl/manuscripts and http://mandragore.bnf.fr .The descriptions of these two collection follow different metadata schemes, and contain values from different controlled vocabularies for subject indexing. The user should be able to search for items for the two collections using the point of view he chooses, either using vocabulary from collection 1 or vocabulary from collection 2.
*1.3. Provide some examples of the functionality of the application. Try to illustrate all of the functionalities in which the vocabulary(ies) and/or vocabulary mappings are involved.
- Browsing the collections: in the original collection websites, a user can access documents using a hierarchical view of the vocabulary used for description. The integrated view should allow the same.
- Searching based on textual queries: documents can also be retrieved based on free-text querying of the different fields used to describe the documents (creator, place, subject, etc.). For the subject indexing, if a text query matches one controlled vocabulary concept, the documents indexed against this concept will be returned.
- Using links between vocabularies: the application shall be able to use links between the vocabularies, to enable searches (either by browsing or free-text querying) that matches a concept from one vocabulary to also match related concepts from the other vocabulary, if such concepts exist.
1.4. What is the architecture of the application?
What are the main components?
Are the components and/or the data distributed across a network, or across the Web?
The application is accessible via a web browser. It practically contains 3 elements undistributed (though a more distributed approach is feasible):
- a web server, which handles queries coming from distant web browser
- an interface generator, which manages generation of the pages sent to the distant web browser
- a metadata and vocabulary server, which contains the descriptions of the documents, the vocabularies as well as the links between them (so in this version the data is centralized on a same server)
The images coming from the two collections are not centralized. They are accessed from a distance on their respective servers (HTTP queries)
1.5. Briefly describe any special strategy involved in the processing of user actions, e.g. query expansion using the vocabulary structure.
The hierarchies of the vocabularies should be used for browsing: if a concept matching a query have subconcepts, the documents indexed against these subconcepts should be returned.
1.6. Are the functionalities associated with the controlled vocabulary(ies) integrated in any way with functionalities provided by other means? (For example, search and browse using a structured vocabulary might be integrated with free-text searching and/or some sort of social bookmarking or recommender system.)
One access mode is free-text searching, which in case of subject-search requires matching a text query with one of the labels of concepts from controlled vocabularies
1.7. Any additional information, references and/or hyperlinks.
First vocabulary section
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Section 2. Vocabulary: Iconclass
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2.1. What is the title of the vocabulary? If you're describing multiple vocabularies, please provide as many titles as you can.
Iconclass
2.2. Briefly describe the general characteristics of the vocabulary, e.g. scope, size...
Iconclass contains 28000 ordered items, which can be used to describe the subjects of an image (persons, event, abstract ideas). Iconclass is currently owned and managed by the Dutch institute RKD.
2.3. In which language(s) is the vocabulary provided?
In the case of partial translations, how complete are these?
Complete versions are available for English, German, French, Italian, partial translation for Finnish and Norvegian
*2.4. Please provide below some extracts from the vocabulary. Use the layout or presentation format that you would normally provide for the users of the vocabulary. Please ensure that the extracts you provide illustrate all of the features of the vocabulary.
For subject 25F “animals”, orginal display in the browsing interface: http://www.mnemosyne.org/mop/ic?style=kbs.xsl&task=getnotation&datum=25F&taal=en&showfull=Y
2 Nature
25 earth, world as celestial body
25F animals
25F(+) KEY
25F1 groups of animals
….
25F9 mis-shapen animals; monsters
25FF fabulous animals (sometimes wrongly called 'grotesques'); 'Mostri' (Ripa)
There are other displays, focusing on the vocabulary alone, e.g. for 25F http://icontest.iconclass.nl/libertas/ic?task=getnotation&datum=25F&style=notationbb.xsl&taal=en
Additional to the info above, we would have
Systematic references
34 man and animal
Keywords: nature, earth, world, animal
In other subject, you have other kind of information, e.g. at 11H
11 H saints
Double Letter : female saint
Or at 11H (…) STRUCTURAL DIGIT
11H saints
11H(...) male saints (with NAME)
11H(...) STRUCTURAL DIGIT
11H(...)0 male saint represented in a group
11H(...)2 early life of male saint
11H(...)1 specific aspects ~ male saint
…
2.5. Describe the structure of the vocabulary.
What are the main building blocks?
What types of relationship are used? If you can, provide examples by referring to the extracts given in paragraph 2.4.
The main building blocks of Iconclass are subjects, used to describe the subject of images. An Iconclass subject consists of a notation (an alphanumeric identier used for annotation) and a textual correlate (e.g. “25F9 mis-shapen animals; monsters”). Subjects are organized in nine hierarchical trees.
Other features are associative cross-reference links (systematic reference in the example), as well as mechanisms for subject specialisation at indexing time: keys, structural digits, double letters, bracketed text.
Use of bracketed text allow for adhoc extension of iconclass for subjects that are too collection-dependent. For exemple, you can specialize “11H(…) saints” into any kind of saint you find in an image, like 11H(ALISTAIR MILES).
Keys are (organized) lists of items that can be applied to subjects at indexing time to add an extra meaning to them. 25F has an active key which contains amongst others “(+33) head” : 25F(+33) would refer to the head of an animal.
Structural digits have similar nature and role: you can build something like “11H(ALISTAIR MILES)2” to denote early life of St Alistair Miles. Finally, duplicate the upper case letter of a notation allow to modify its meaning in a pre-defined way 11H saint become 11 HH female saint (each subject has the information telling that you can double the letter or not, and which is the meaning implied by the duplication).
Additionally, subjects have keywords that are used to access them: 25F9 is thus linked to “monster” and “shape”, amongst others. Keywords form a network of their own. A keyword can refer to another by several means:
- ‘See’ reference refers the user from a non-preferred term to a preferred term
- ‘See also’ references refer the user from a preferred term to other preferred terms that are related either semantically or iconographically
- Equality between keywords from different languages.
2.6. Is a machine-readable representation of the vocabulary already available (e.g. as an XML document)? If so, we would be grateful if you could provide some example data or point us to a hyperlink.
There is one, but not publicly available.
2.7. Are any software applications used to create and/or maintain the vocabulary?
Are there any features which these software applications currently lack which are required by your use case?
Maintenance of vocabulary is done via edition of semi-structured source files.
2.8. If a database application is used to store and/or manage the vocabulary, how is the database structured? Illustration by means of some table sample is welcome.
N/a
2.9. Were any published standards, textbooks or written guidelines followed during the design and construction of the vocabulary?
Did you decide to diverge from their recommendations in any way, and if so, how and why?
N/a
2.10. How are changes to the vocabulary managed?
Maintenance of vocabulary is done via edition of semi-structured source files. As a general rule, the standard version shall only be changed in a conservative way, not modifying the existing subjects.
2.11. Any additional information, references and/or hyperlinks.
Information on Iconclass history and content, as well as the vocabulary itself, can be accessed at www.iconclass.nl
Second vocabulary section
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Section 2. Vocabulary: Mandragore analysis vocabulary
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2.1. What is the title of the vocabulary? If you're describing multiple vocabularies, please provide as many titles as you can.
Mandragore analysis vocabulary
2.2. Briefly describe the general characteristics of the vocabulary, e.g. scope, size...
16000 subjects, tailored to describe what can be found in the Mandragore manuscripts (persons, events, places, abstract concepts, objects, etc.). The vocabulary has been developed and is owned by the Manuscript Department of the French National Library.
2.3. In which language(s) is the vocabulary provided?
In the case of partial translations, how complete are these?
The only language is French.
*2.4. Please provide below some extracts from the vocabulary. Use the layout or presentation format that you would normally provide for the users of the vocabulary. Please ensure that the extracts you provide illustrate all of the features of the vocabulary.
The vocabulary comes in the form of a hierarchy:
BIBLE ET APOCRYPHES
…
TECHNIQUES, SCIENCES APPLIQUEES
ZOOLOGIE
.zoologie (généralités)
.mollusques
.crustacés
bernard.l'ermite [crustacé]
crabe [crustacé]
crevette [crustacé]
écrevisse [crustacé]
Here is the information accessible for a specific descriptor:
Descripteur : cochon [mammifère ongulé]
Formes rejetées : porc, truie
Classement thématique : .mammifères
2.5. Describe the structure of the vocabulary.
What are the main building blocks?
What types of relationship are used? If you can, provide examples by referring to the extracts given in paragraph 2.4.
Images are indexed using a set of descriptors (almost all the element from the global vocabulary) that form a flat list: there are no (formal) links between descriptors. However, some structure is given by topic classes which organize the descriptors according to general domains (as shown in the two first levels of the hierarchy in 2.4).
A topic class is defined by a label and an optional list of subclasses.
A descriptor is described by the descriptor label itself (“cochon” in 2.4), optional rejected forms (“porc”) an optional definition (“mamifère ongulé”), and a reference to one or more topic classes (“.mammifères”). A note can sometimes be found
2.6. Is a machine-readable representation of the vocabulary already available (e.g. as an XML document)? If so, we would be grateful if you could provide some example data or point us to a hyperlink.
There is one, but not publishable.
2.7. Are any software applications used to create and/or maintain the vocabulary?
Are there any features which these software applications currently lack which are required by your use case?
N/a
2.8. If a database application is used to store and/or manage the vocabulary, how is the database structured? Illustration by means of some table sample is welcome.
N/a
2.9. Were any published standards, textbooks or written guidelines followed during the design and construction of the vocabulary?
Did you decide to diverge from their recommendations in any way, and if so, how and why?
N/a
2.10. How are changes to the vocabulary managed?
N/a
2.11. Any additional information, references and/or hyperlinks.
The hierarchical view of the vocabulary can be accessed at http://mandragore.bnf.fr/jsp/classementThema.jsp
Vocabulary Mapping section
================================================================ Section 3. Vocabulary Mappings ================================================================ In this section we ask you to provide some information about the mappings or links between vocabularies you would like to be able to represent using SKOS. Please note: -- If your use case does not involve vocabulary mappings or links, you may skip this section! 3.1. Which vocabularies are you linking/mapping from/to? Iconclass (1) and Mandragore description vocabulary (2) *3.2. Please provide below some extracts from the mappings or links between the vocabularies. Use the layout or presentation format that you would normally provide for the users of the mappings. Please ensure that the examples you provide illustrate all of the different types of mapping or link. - “25F72 molluscs” (1) is equivalent to “mollusques” (2) - "25F711 insects" (1) is more specific than "autres invertébrés (vers,arachnides,insectes...)" (2) - "25F(+441) herd, group of animals" (1) is equivalent to “troupeau” (2) - “11U4 Mary and John the Baptist together with (e.g. kneeling before) the judging Christ, 'Deesis' ~ Last Judgement” (1) should link to “s.marie”, “s.jean.baptiste”, “christ” and “jugement.dernier” (2) 3.3. Describe the different types of mapping used, with reference to the examples given in paragraph 3.2. We can have equivalence or specialization links between concepts from both vocabularies. On concept can be linked to several other ones. A concept can be linked to a combination of concepts from another vocabulary if allowed by this vocabulary (e.g. in the Iconclass case, a subject and an applied key) 3.4. Any additional information, references and/or hyperlinks.