TMF - a tutorial

TMF - Terminological Markup Framework

Laurent Romary - Laboratoire Loria

Three parts

Part 1: Basic concepts

Part 2: Representing data categories

Part 3: Designing (schemas and) filters

TMF - a tutorialPart 1: Basic concepts

TMF - Terminological Markup Framework

Laurent Romary - Laboratoire Loria

• Background - ISO etc.

• The need for abstraction

• Structure and content of terminological data - picture virtual-actual

• The meta-model (structural skeleton)

• Describing data categories

• Styles and vocabularies

• XTMF as a mapping tool - examples

• Further work: extending the model to a wider scope (language engineering)

Overview

General principles

Expressing constraints on the representation of computerized terminologies

• What is the underlying structure of computerized terminologies?

• Which data-category is used and under which conditions?

Maintaining interoperability between representations

• Providing a conceptual tool to compare two given formats

Definitions

TMF: Terminological Mark-up Framework• Definition of underlying structures and mechanisms

needed for the computer representation of terminological data

• Independence with regards any specific format

GMT: Generic Mapping Tool• Abstract XML format equivalent to the underlying

model of TMF

Definitions - cont.

TML: Terminological Mark-up Language• One specific representation format generated within

TMF

• E.g.: DXLT is a possible TML

A family of formats

TMF

TML1 TML2 TML3 TMLi…

(DXLT)(Geneter)

GMT

Meta-model

Representing the underlying structure of terminological data

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Terminological Data Collection

Global Information

Terminological Entry

Complementary Information

Terminology- related

Information Language Section

Term Section

Term ComponentSection

Meta-model description

Terminological Data Collection (TDC) • A collection of data containing information on

concepts of specific concept fields.

Terminological Entry (TE) • An entry containing information on terminological

units (i.e., subject-specific concepts, terms, etc.).» Example: Domain description, Conceptual relations

etc.

Meta-model description - cont.

Language Section (LS) • The part of a terminological entry containing

information related to one language.» Note: One terminological entry may contain

information on one, two or more languages.

Term Section (TS) • The part of a language section giving information

about a term.» Example: Term status (e.g. abbreviation), Usage

information (temporal, geographical etc.)

Meta-model description - cont.

Term Component Section (TCS) • The section of a term section giving information

about components of a term.» Example: Component grammatical information (Part

of speech)

Meta-model description - cont.

Global Information (GI) • Technical and administrative information applying

to the entire data collection .» Example: title of the data collection, revision history

Complementary Information (CI)• Information supplementary to terminology-related

information.» Example: bibliographical source, documentary

language or description thereof.

The structural skeleton

Terminological Data Collection (TDC)

Global Information (GI) Complementary Information (CI)

Terminological Entry (TE)

Language Section (LS)

Term Level (TL)

Term Component Level (TCL)

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How does this work?

Walking through an example…

DXLT example<termEntry id='ID67'>

<descrip type='subjectField‘>manufacturing</descrip><descrip type='definition'>A value between 0 and 1 used in ...</descrip><langSet lang='en'>

<tig><term>alpha smoothing factor</term><termNote

type='termType'>fullForm</termNote></tig>

</langSet><langSet lang='hu'>

<tig><term>Alfa ...</term>

</tig></langSet>

</termEntry>

Identifying the structural skeletonid=‘ID67’ [attribute]subjectField=‘ manufacturing ’ [typedElement]definition=‘A value…’ [typedElement]

lang=‘ hu ’ [attribute]lang=‘ en ’ [attribute]

term=‘…’ [element]

term=‘alpha smoothing factor’ [element]termType=‘fullForm’ [typedElement]

TE

LS

TStig

langSet

tig

langSet

termEntry

TE: Terminological EntryLS: Language SectionTS: Term Section

TMF information model

TE

TS

LSLS

TS

id=‘ID67’subjectField=‘ manufacturing ’definition=‘A value…’

lang=‘ hu ’lang=‘ en ’

term=‘…’term=‘alpha smoothing factor’termType=‘fullForm’

GMT representation<struct type=“TE”>

<feat type=“id”>ID67</feat><feat type=“subjectField”>manufacturing</feat><feat type=“definition”>A value between 0 and 1 used in ...</feat><struct type=“LS”>

<feat type=“lang”>en</feat><struct type=“TS”>

<feat type=“term”>alpha smoothing factor</feat> <feat type=“termType”>fullForm</feat>

</struct></struct><struct type=“LS”>

<feat type=“lang”>hu</feat><struct type=“TS”>

<feat type=“term”>Alfa ...</feat></struct>

</struct></struct>

Structural Skeleton DCRref (ISO12620)

DCRi

- DCRref subset- Application dependent DCR

Interoperability conditionsGMT

Dialecti

- Expansion structures- DatCat structural styles- DatCat vocabulary styles

Terminological Markup Language (TML)

TML à la mode ISO

– Ingredients– A structural skeleton

» (take the TMF Metamodel)– A reference Data Category Registry

» ISO 12620 is a good place to find one

– Recette– Choose some data categories from the registry

» You can even constrain the values of your datcats– Associate a style and vocabulary to each datcat

» You can inspire yourself from others (DXLT)– Serve it hot to your software guy with a piece of SALT software

GMT

Generic Mapping Tool

Background

Interoperability principle– If any two TMLs have exactly the same DCS,

even though they differ radically in style and vocabulary, they are equivalent.

Consequence– It is always possible to define a filter from one

TML to another when they are interoperable• GMT is the intermediate representation to do so

From one TML to another

GMT - Generic mapping tool– an abstract XML representation

• identification of levels– <struct type=“LS”>…</struct>

» a recursive element

• representation of data-categories– <feat type=“definition”>…</feat>

The tmf element

• Description:– The tmf element is the root element for any valid XTMF

document. It contains both the global information that corresponds to a terminological data collection, the collection itself, and the complementary information comprising external resources in particular, which are needed for describing the various terminological entries.

• Content model: <!ELEMENT tmf (struct*)>

The struct element

• Description – The struct element should be used to represent a locus in a

given structural skeleton. The struct element is recursive and may also contain feat and/or brack elements to express attributes belonging to the corresponding level of the meta model.

• Attributes:– type: level in the meta model (TDC, TE, LS, TS or TCS)

• Content model:<!ELEMENT struct ((feat|brack)*, struct*)><!ATTLIST struct type (TDC|TE|LS|TS|TCS) #REQUIRED>

The feat element

• Description – The feat element represents any feature that is either

directly attached to a locus in the structural skeleton (represented by a struct element).

• The feat element accepts the following attributes:– type: categorises the feat element through the reference to

the name of the corresponding data category.

• Content model (DTD) – <!ELEMENT feat (#PCDATA | annot)*>– <!ATTLIST feat type CDATA #REQUIRED>

Bracketing information

Rationale

Describing the context of use of a given data category– Example 1:

» Classification Code: AG1

» Classification System: Lenoc

– Example 2:» Transaction type: modification

» Responsible person: Mr. X

» Date: 23 avril 1988

Formal model

Hierarchical feature structure– Constraint: Type given by ‘ main ’ (first) data

category

ClassificationGrp ClassificationCode AG1

ClassificationSystem Lenoc

GMT description

• Bracketing features

<brack><feat type=“classificationCode“>xxx</feat><feat type=“classificationSystem“>Lenoc</feat>

</brack>

Rem: no type for ‘ brack ’

Annotating content

Rationale

Why should we annotate specific content?– To identify components which are not

explicitly expressed as a specific part of a terminological entry

• E.g.: Characteristics of a concept

– To relate a component to another entry or an external resource

• E.g.: bibliographical reference

Formal model

?

XML model

Mixed content– <!element feat (#PCDATA|annot)*>

• Attributes– type: categorises the annot element through the reference

to the name of the corresponding data category.

• Rem.: Problems with mixed content in XML schemas

GMT description

• Annotating information<feat type=“definition”>pencil whose<annot type=“characteristic”> casing </annot>

is fixed around a cental graphite medium which is used for writing or making marks

</feat>

Representation of relations

XML links

Transparency as to the actual location of a resource (internal vs. external)

Maybe useful to identify ontologies– External links between concepts

entry i

entry j

entry i

entry j

Representation in GMT

Two attributes• Target - a pointer to a ‘ struct ’ element in the case

the feature expresses a relation between the current locus and another locus in the structural skeleton;

• Source - a pointer to a ‘ struct ’ element in cases where the feature is described external to the locus to which it is supposed to be attached.

Some examples

• Simple atomic feature attached directly to a locus:<feat type="conceptIdentifier">ID67</feat>

• Basic feature whose value is a reference to a locus in the structural skeleton:

<feat type="partWhole" target="TE24"/>

• Basic feature anchored at the locus in the structural skeleton whose id attribute value is “TE24”:

<feat type="conceptIdentifier" source="TE24">ID67</feat>

• Compound feature anchored at “TE 23” and which makes reference to “TE 24”:

<feat type="partWhole" source="TE23" target=“TE24”/>

Styles and vocabularies

Structural Skeleton DCRref (ISO12620)

DCRi

- DCRref subset- Application dependant DCR

Interoperability conditionsCML

Dialecti

- Expension structures- DatCat structural styles- DatCat vocabulary styles

Terminological Markup Language (TML)

Implementating a DatCat

– Definitions:• ‘ style ’ — The way a given DatCat is implemented as

an XML object…• ‘ vocabulary ’ — symbols needed to express the

implementation of a given DatCat in its associated style ;

– E.g.:» DatCat: /definition/» Vocabulary = [def]» Style = Element» <def>pencil whose casing …</def>

DatCat value

Implementating a DatCat (Cont.)

– Definition:• ‘ anchor ’ — the XML element(s) to which the

implementation of a given DatCat can be attached– E.g.:

<tig>

<term>alpha smoothing factor</term>

</tig>

Styles - element

Element• Def.: The Datcat is implemented as an element,

child of its anchor

• Vocabularies : the name of the corresponding element

• E.g.:<def>pencil whose casing …</def>

<term>alpha smoothing factor</term>

DatCat value

Styles - typedElement

typedElement• Def.: The Datcat is implemented as a generic XML

element, which is a child of the anchor, and which is further specified by means of a type attribute. Its content is the value of the feature in the structural skeleton.

• Vocabularies : the element name and the value of the type attribute

• E.g.:<termNote type=‘definition’>Bla, bla, bla…</termNote>

DatCat value

Styles - attribute

Attribute• Def.: The Datcat is implemented as an attribute of

its anchor

• Vocabularies : the name of the corresponding attribute

• E.g.:<termEntry id='ID67'> … </termEntry>

<ldl language ='en'> … </ldl>

DatCat value

ValuedElement TypedValuedElement