1. Semantic Mapping through a concept hub
Dagobert Soergel
College of Information Studies, University of Maryland
Department of Library and Information Studies, University at Buffalo

2. Mapping through a Hub Dewey Hub LCSH German
387 Water, air, space transportation
386 Inland waterway & ferry transportation
387.5 Ocean transportation
386.8 Inland waterway tr. > Ports
387.1 Ports
Hub
Water transport
Inland water transport
Ocean transport
Traffic station ⊓ Water transport
Traffic station ⊓ Inland water tr.
Traffic station ⊓ Ocean transport
LCSH
Shipping
Inland water transport
Merchant marine
Harbors
German
Hafen

3. Outline Objective: Interoperability Plus KOS concept hub
Method: Knowledge-based, computer-assisted of canonical representations of concepts
Resulting knowledge base and applications

4. Objective
Improve semantic-based search of digital content across multiple collections in multiple languages.
Interoperability between any two participating KOS (Knowledge Organization Systems)
Support for search, esp. facet-based search
for any collection indexed by a participating KOS
for free-text search
Assistance in cataloging (metadata creation) by catalogers or users (social tagging)
Long-range goal: Web service where a KOS can be uploaded and mappings to specified target KOS are returned

5. KOS Concept Hub
The backbone of the proposed system is a faceted core classification of atomic concepts together with a set of relationships
Interoperability is achieved by expressing concepts from all participating KOS as a canonical representation: description logic formula using atomic concepts and relationships
Mapping from KOS to KOS is achieved by reasoning over these canonical representations

6. Mapping through a Hub Dewey Hub LCSH German
387 Water, air, space transportation
386 Inland waterway & ferry transportation
387.5 Ocean transportation
386.8 Inland waterway tr. > Ports
387.1 Ports
Hub
Water transport
Inland water transport
Ocean transport
Traffic station ⊓ Water transport
Traffic station ⊓ Inland water tr.
Traffic station ⊓ Ocean transport
LCSH
Shipping
Inland water transport
Merchant marine
Harbors
German
Hafen

7. Method: How to get DL formulas
Key: Efficient creation of canonical representations (DL formulas)
Apply existing knowledge: Large knowledge base ▬► less effort for processing a new KOS
Use knowledge of KOS structure for hierarchical inheritance
Use linguistic analysis of terms and captions
Eliminate redundant atomic concepts
Check or produce mapping results from assignment of concepts to the same records
Get human editors’ input and verification where needed through a user-friendly interface
KOS “owners” may verify and edit data pertaining to their KOS

8. Knowledge base
Requires an ever larger classification and lexical knowledge base containing many kinds of data:
A faceted classification of atomic concepts Seeded from sources with well-developed facets such as the AOD Thesaurus, the Harvard Business Thesaurus, the Art and Architecture Thesaurus, various ontologies
Linguistic knowledge bases such as Wordnet and mono-,bi-, and multi-langual dictionaries and thesauri
Many KOS (Knowledge Organization Systems), such as LCC, DDC, DMOZ directory, LCSH, Gene Ontology, Schlagwortnormdatei
These will over time be fused into one large multilingual knowledge base with many terminological and translation relationships and relationships linking terms to concepts, with an increasing number of concepts semantically represented by a DL formula.

9. Examples of deriving DL formulas

10. Underlying faceted classification
L00 Transportation and traffic
L10 Traffic system components
L13 Traffic facilities
L15 Traffic stations
L17 Vehicles
L30 Modes of transportation
L33 Air transport
L37 Water transport
P00 Buildings, construction
P23 Buildings
P27 Architecture
P43 Construction
R00 Engineering
R30 Acoustics
R37 Soundproofing
T70 Military vs. civilian
T73 Military
T77 Civilian

11. Method: Assigning atomic concepts 1
HE Transportation
HE Ports, harbors, docks, wharves, etc.
L00 Transportation and traffic ⊓ T77 Civilian
Inherited:
Added by editor:
L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L37 Water transport
Resolved to:
L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L37 Water transport⊓
T77 Civilian

12. Method: Assigning atomic concepts 2
NA Airport buildings
From database already established:
Airport =
L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L33 Air transport
Buildings = P23 Buildings
Added by editor T77 Civilian
Resolved to
L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓ P23 Buildings ⊓ T77 Civilian

13. Method: Assigning atomic concepts 3
TL681.S6 Airplanes. Soundproofing
From database already established:
Airplane =
L17 Vehicles ⊓ L33 Air transport
Soundproofing = R37 Soundproofing
Added by editor: Nothing
Resolved to
L17 Vehicles ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓
R37 Soundproofing

14. Method: Assigning atomic concepts 4
Aeroplanes-Soundproofing
From database already established:
Aeroplanes = Airplane [Spelling variant]
Therefore
Term is recognized as same as
Airplanes. Soundproofing
Resolved to
L17 Vehicles ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓
R37 Soundproofing

15. Method: Assigning atomic concepts 5
Any class formed by geographical subdivision
Such as
NA Airport buildings
NA6305.E Egypt
Recognized using a dictionary of geographical names
Inherits from subject class above it; simply add the country
L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓ P23 Buildings ⊓ T77 Civilian ⊓ Egypt
No editor checking needed

16. Examples from the resulting knowledge base

17. HE550-560 Ports, harbors, docks, wharves, etc.
NA2800 Architectural acoustics
NA Airport buildings
NA6330 Dock buildings, ferry houses, etc.
TC Harbor works
TH1725 Soundproof construction
TL681.S6 Airplanes. Soundproofing
TL Airways (Routes). Airports and landing fields. Aerodromes
VA Naval ports, bases, reservations, docks
VM367.S6 Submarines. Soundproofing
= L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓ T77 Civilian
= P27 Architecture ⊓ R30 Acoustics
= L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓ P23 Buildings ⊓ T77 Civilian
= L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓ P23 Buildings ⊓ T77 Civilian
= L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓ R00 Engineering ⊓ T77 Civilian
= P23 Buildings ⊓ P43 Construction ⊓
R37 Soundproofing
= L17 Vehicles ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓
= L13 Traffic facilities ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓ Technical aspects
= L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓ T73 Military
= L17 Vehicles ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓ R37 Soundproofing ⊓ T73 Military ⊓ Underwater

18. LC subject headings with combinations of atomic concepts
Aeroplanes-Soundproofing
Airports-Buildings
Buildings-Soundproofing
Ships-Soundproofing
= L17 Vehicles ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓ R37 Soundproofing
= P23 Buildings ⊓ L15 Traffic stations ⊓ L33 Air transport
= P23 Buildings ⊓ P43 Construction ⊓ R37 Soundproofing
= L17 Vehicles ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓ R37 Soundproofing

19. Mapping through a Hub LCC Hub LCSH TL681.S6 Airplanes. Soundproofing
VM367.S6 Submarines. Soundproofing
Hub
L17 Vehicles ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓
R37 Soundproofing
L17 Vehicles ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓ R37 Soundproofing
L17 Vehicles ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓
R37 Soundproofing ⊓ T73 Military⊓
Underwater
LCSH
Aeroplanes-Soundproofing
Ships-Soundproofing

20. Canonical form of query
Mapping user queries
User query
Free text
Combination of elemental concepts through facets (guided query formulation)
Controlled term(s) from a KOS, possibly found through browsing a KOS
Hub
Canonical form of query
(DL formula)
Final query
(Enriched) free text query
Query in terms of a KOS

21. Query: L17 Vehicles AND R37 Soundproofing
TL681.S6 Airplanes. Soundproofing
VM367.S6 Submarines. Soundproofing
Aeroplanes-Soundproofing
Ships-Soundproofing
[L17 Vehicles ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓ R37 Soundproofing]
[L17 Vehicles ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓ R37 Soundproofing ⊓ Military]
 [L17 Vehicles ⊓ L33 Air transport ⊓ R37 Soundproofing]
[L17 Vehicles ⊓ L37 Water transport ⊓ R37 Soundproofing]

22. Examples from NALT and LCSH
NALT National Agricultural Library Thesaurus
LCSH Library of Congress Subject Headings

23. Air pollution laws LCSH term Air – Pollution – Laws and regulations
[isa] Legal rule [appliedTo] {[isa] Condition [isConditionOf] Air [causedBy] Pollutant [property] Undesirable}
NALT terms
Air pollution
[isa] Condition [isConditionOf] Air [causedBy] Pollutant [property] Undesirable
Laws and regulations
[isa] Legal rule
Mapping LCSH ▬► NALT
Air – Pollution – Laws and regulations ▬► Air pollution AND
Interpretation for indexing and searching in both directions

24. Soil moisture vs. Soil water
LCSH term
Soil moisture
[isa] Water [containedIn] Soil
NALT term
Soil water
Mapping LCSH ▬► NALT
Soil moisture ▬► Soil water

25. Greenhouse gardening LCSH term Greenhouse gardening
[isa] Gardening [inEnvironment] Greenhouse [inEnvironment] Home
NALT terms
Home gardening
[isa] Gardening [inEnvironment] Home
Greenhouse
[isa] Greenhouse
Mapping LCSH ▬► NALT
Greenhouse gardening ▬► Home gardening AND

26. Salad greens LCSH term Salad greens
[isa] Green leafy vegetable [usedFor] Salad
NALT term
Green leafy vegetables
[isa] Green leafy vegetable
Mapping LCSH ▬► NALT
Salad greens ▬► BT Green leafy vegetables

27. Emerging diseases LCSH term Emerging infectious diseases
[isa] Disease [hasProperty] Infectious [hasProperty] Emerging
NALT term
Emerging diseases
[isa] Disease [hasProperty] Infectious ??? [hasProperty] Emerging
Mapping LCSH ▬► NALT
Emerging infectious diseases ▬► Emerging diseases
Emerging infectious diseases ▬► BT Emerging diseases

28. Distributed implementation
A KOS on the Web could assign DL formulas to its concepts − let's call this a semantically enhanced KOS or SEKOS
Could use any of a number of faceted core classifications or even several (using a unique URI for each elemental concept)
Core classifications could be mapped to each other
It is now a simple matter to map from any SEKOS to any other (somewhat dependent on the core classifications used)

29. Semantics gives powerful systems Semantik schafft maechtige Systeme
Take-home message
Semantics gives powerful systems
Semantik schafft maechtige Systeme

30. L C

31. Means
Create a comprehensive knowledge base relating many classification schemes and subject heading lists used in libraries and in other contexts (LCC, DDC, DMOZ directory, LCSH, European schemes).
Use combinations of atomic concepts taken from a well-structured underlying faceted classification to represent the meaning of classes and subject headings.
This project will achieve the following
Interoperability between any two participating Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS) (to the extent the two schemes allow)
Facet-based search
for any collection indexed by a participating KOS
for free-text search
Assistance in cataloging (metadata creation) by catalogers or users (social tagging)
Long-range goal: Web service where a KOS can be uploaded and mappings to specified target KOS are returned

33. Mapping through a Hub Dewey Hub LCSH German
387 Water, air, space transportation
386 Inland waterway & ferry transportation
387.5 Ocean transportation
386.8 Inland waterway tr. > Ports
387.1 Ports
Hub
Water transport
Inland water transport
Ocean transport
Traffic station ⊓ Water transport
Traffic station ⊓ Inland water tr.
Traffic station ⊓ Ocean transport
LCSH
Shipping
Inland water transport
Merchant marine
Harbors
German
Hafen

34. Mapping through a Hub
LCC
Hub
LCSH

35. Koeln 20090706 Themen Role indicators for building themes
arrangement of themes for exploration under user control
carry-over from citation order
Practical problem of connection to the participating systems – should use IDs for combinations in Hub. Make sure that hub stays consistent with participating systems.