I agree with you that mapping BF to "constrained" (typed) RDA will be necessary and useful. At the end of my message, I tried to make the point that this won't be possible. I used classes but it is better to use properties instead. Once you map rdam:reproductionOfManifestation to bf:reproduction and rdai:reproductionOfItem to bf:reproduction, you can't go back the other way. That is, bf:reproduction does not contain the information you need to choose the correct RDA property in the BF -> RDA mapping. You no longer know whether you came from reproductionOfManifestation or reproductionOfItem. Joe -------------------------------------------------- From: "Fallgren, Nancy (NIH/NLM) [E]" <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2015 8:08 AM To: <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: [BIBFRAME] Constrained vs unconstrained schemas > Hi All, > > FWIW . . . > We are working with the "constrained" version (with a nod to Karen's > comments re use of the term 'constrained') of RDA/RDF and mapping that to > a BIBFRAME core vocabulary precisely because we don't know what a > cataloging input UI will look like post-MARC or how BF will be generated > from that input. Since BF and RDA have different structures, our thinking > is to use the "constrained" RDA/RDF so that the RDA data can be > reconstructed easily and losslessly back into its WEMI entities structure > from BF should that prove useful or necessary. > > -Nancy > > Nancy J. Fallgren > Metadata Specialist Librarian > Cataloging and Metadata Management Section > Technical Services Division > National Library of Medicine > > [log in to unmask] > > -----Original Message----- > From: Gordon Dunsire [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2015 7:42 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [BIBFRAME] Constrained vs unconstrained schemas > > All > > Many applications based on RDF data will need to know what type of thing > is being described by a triple. An application can get that information > implicitly, from the domain and range of the triple's property, or > explicitly, from a separate triple stating the thing's type. There is no > guarantee that such a type triple exists, or is connected to the local > graph, or can be retrieved from the global graph. > > The quality (effectiveness, efficiency, etc.) of these applications is > likely to depend on the accuracy and completeness of entity typing. More > sophisticated applications are likely to depend also on the semantic > coherence of the results of typing. > > Publishers of data based on specific ontologies should be able to choose > whether to provide type triples implicitly or explicitly. Using properties > constrained by domain and range allows implicit typing by applications > intended to consume the data. The maintainers of the specific ontology are > probably the best agents to provide data publishers and consumers with the > RDF element sets for the constrained properties and, indeed, the type > classes used to constrain them. > > Publishing data using constrained properties does not prevent its use by > applications that are simple, low-quality, or do not require entity > typing. > Such applications may use RDF maps to dumb-down constrained properties to > unconstrained versions, or simply ignore domains and ranges. The RDF maps > may be local to the application, or provided by the maintainers of the > constrained elements or some other agent. > > I agree that the publishers of library data in RDF should be able to > specify how it is intended to be used by libraries: this is a closed-world > assumption. The BF model seems to be mainly influenced by the data > currently used by library applications based on MARC21; the FRBR model > reflects the functional requirements to support world-wide consensus on > user tasks. I think both of these bases, data and users, are good > indicators of the needs of future library applications. I therefore think > it is a benefit that the BIBFRAME Initiative (BFI), IFLA, and the JSC for > RDA are providing constrained RDF element sets for BF, FRBR, ISBD, and > RDA. I also think the provision of unconstrained element sets is a good > thing, together with mappings from constrained to unconstrained > properties. I do not know whether BFI intends to publish unconstrained > properties. I do know that the FRBR Review Group decided not to do so > because of its plans to consolidate the FRBR, FRAD, and FRSAD models (now > approaching completion), and that the ISBD Review Group has an > unconstrained element set ready for publication in the near future with a > corresponding map. > > The JSC and ISBD Review Group have collaborated on a map between the ISBD > and RDA elements [1]. The map, based on an updated version of the agreed > element alignment [2] will be published in the next few weeks. It > necessarily uses unconstrained properties to link well-formed ISBD and RDA > data together, and was a stimulus to the development of the unconstrained > ISBD element set. As noted in the pre-print cited by Karen, there is also > a map between ISBD and FRBR classes which requires local semantics for > "aspect" relationships [3]. > > I am not convinced that the assumption that RDA Work and RDA Expression > are equivalent to/same as BF Work is a useful or valid one [4]. I think > there may be similar problems with RDA Manifestation, RDA Item, and BF > Instance. > The ISBD/RDA experience shows that careful consideration of implicit > semantics in definitions and scope notes is required, as well as explicit > semantics in domain, range, and sub-property relationships. > > So I do not advise mapping either the constrained or unconstrained RDA > properties to constrained BF properties without further clarification of > the class relationships. It is ok to map constrained BF properties to > unconstrained RDA properties. A full map between RDA and BF requires the > use of unconstrained RDA and BF properties. And, by definition, a > roundtrip from constrained to unconstrained to constrained is somewhat > lossy (as well as incoherent). > > I think we need further investigation of the relationship between the > RDA/FRBR models and BF, probably best carried out by the JSC and BFI. And > we need to test interoperability using orthodox RDA and BF data. > Fortunately, we now have the beta of version 3 of RIMMF to create orthodox > RDA data [5]. > So perhaps we can do something useful with RDA and BF data after the > Jane-athon [6]. > > Cheers > > Gordon > > [1] http://www.rda-jsc.org/docs/6JSC-Chair-4.pdf > [2] > http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/cataloguing/isbd/OtherDocumentation/ISBD2RD > A%20Alignment%20v1_1.pdf > [3] > http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/cataloguing/isbd/OtherDocumentation/resourc > e-wemi.pdf > [4] http://www.gordondunsire.com/pubs/pres/RDAMARCBIBFRAME.pptx > [5] http://www.rdaregistry.info/rimmf/index.html > [6] http://www.rdatoolkit.org/janeathon > > If it is a camel, a weasel, and a whale, then it is a cloud (inferred from > Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2). > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative Forum > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Joseph Kiegel > Sent: 05 January 2015 23:21 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [BIBFRAME] Constrained vs unconstrained schemas > > Thanks, this helps a lot. I had viewed domains as more restrictive than > they are. > > I agree with your larger question that we need to understand the > operations that will be performed on our data in RDF. Perhaps we can't > anticipate what other people will do, but we should be able to specify > what libraries will do. > > > Joe > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "Karen Coyle" <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Monday, January 05, 2015 1:38 PM > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: [BIBFRAME] Constrained vs unconstrained schemas > >> Joseph, You might want to look at my blog post on RDF classes: >> >> http://kcoyle.blogspot.com/2014/11/classes-in-rdf.html >> >> and the article by Baker-Coyle-Petiya >> >> http://kcoyle.net/LHTv32n4preprint.pdf >> >> There are actually no "constraints" in RDF, just potential inferences. >> The inferences are based on the stated domains and ranges of the > properties. >> There are examples of this in the Baker et al article using RDA, >> FRBRer and BIBFRAME. There is no conflict with a subject being >> inferred as being an instance of more than one class as long as the >> classes themselves are not declared as disjoint. (The article explains >> this better than I can in an email. ) The documentation for RDA, >> BIBFRAME and FRBRer all presents classes as determinants of data >> structure. This, to me, is a common error in RDF development. That any >> subject can be an instance of more than one class is necessary for the >> RDF graph's flexibility, and should be proof that classes do not > constraint your data to a single graph structure. >> >> The declared domains of properties only come into play if inferencing >> is applied. A big question, therefore, is whether any inferencing will >> be done at all over the data. The utility of, for example, the RDA >> classes to me is that it allows you to do simple queries for >> categories of triples, e.g. "give me all of the work triples for the >> manifestation with this ISBN." Other than that you can ignore the fact >> that domains have been declared if they don't serve your needs. >> >> Your question, however, brings up a much larger question that I >> haven't seen discussed anywhere, which is: what kinds of operations do >> we expect to perform over library data in RDF? That question really >> should be answered before domains and ranges are defined, because that >> is the function of those capabilities of RDF. >> >> kc >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On 1/5/15 12:52 PM, Joseph Kiegel wrote: >>> A comparison of BIBFRAME and RDA in RDF (referred to below as RDA), >>> in an attempt to map RDA to BIBFRAME, raised the issue of constrained >>> vs unconstrained schemas. >>> >>> The full set of RDA properties is constrained by the RDA classes of >>> Agent, Work, Expression, Manifestation and Item. That is, each >>> property is related to a specific class when appropriate: e.g. >>> abridgementOfExpression and abridgementOfWork. A parallel set of >>> properties has been created where the constraints of class are lifted: >>> e.g. abridgementOf. This unconstrained version of RDA loses the >>> context of some properties but is intended to facilitate mapping to >>> schemas that do not use the FRBR model underlying RDA. >>> >>> BIBFRAME is a constrained schema, but constrained by different classes: >>> Agent, Work, and Instance. There is no unconstrained version of >>> BIBFRAME. >>> >>> A mapping of RDA to BIBFRAME presents choices and challenges. >>> >>> Is it better to use constrained RDA, which causes explicit conflicts >>> of >>> domain: e.g. mapping rdam:reproductionOfManifestation to >>> bf:reproduction and rdai:reproductionOfItem to bf:reproduction? >>> >>> Or is it better to use unconstrained RDA, which still has conflicts >>> (an unconstrained domain vs a constrained one in BIBFRAME): e.g. >>> mapping rdau:reproductionOf to bf:reproduction? >>> >>> It is not obvious which is the better choice. Although perhaps we >>> need both mappings, each with its own problems regarding original and >>> destination domains. >>> >>> A corollary of the question is that any roundtrip RDA -> BF -> RDA is >>> lossy. If constrained RDA is used as a starting point, RDA classes >>> are lost in the mapping itself, and if unconstrained RDA is used, >>> classes are lost prior to mapping. Either way, RDA classes cannot be >>> recovered in a BF -> constrained RDA mapping. >>> >> >> -- >> Karen Coyle >> [log in to unmask] http://kcoyle.net >> m: +1-510-435-8234 >> skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600 >> >