Quoting Andy Powell <[log in to unmask]>:
> I think you are mixing up the usability of metadata tools with the
> underlying structure of the metadata. (Actually, I think we all tend to
> do this at the moment because the quality of metadata user-interfaces
> tends to be rather poor in many tools). Just because we choose 3
> properties in the underlying metadata doesn't mean that tools have to
> present 3 boxes to the end-user. Tools can choose to present a single
> list as part of the user-interface, but then partition the end-user
> selections into 3 metadata fields as necessary.
I strongly agree with this: designing a DCAP is not the same thing as
designing a user interface.
[snip]
> Is it better to structure our metadata using a single very general
> property with 1 (or 3) vocabularies OR using 3 more specific properties
> each with a single vocabulary?
>
> I agree that this is a design choice, and as such there are no clear-cut
> answers.
[snip]
> But, as I said above, it's a design choice, and there are arguments in
> both directions.
>
> I still have a gut-feeling preference for something like
>
> <meta name="a4a:controlMode"
> scheme="a4a:ControlCharacteristic"
> content="KeyboardOnlyControl" />
> <meta name="a4a:displayMode"
> scheme="a4a:DisplayCharacteristic"
> content="Braille" />
>
> rather than
>
> <meta name="a4a:adaptability"
> scheme="a4a:AdaptabilityCharacteristic"
> content="KeyboardOnlyControl" />
> <meta name="a4a:adaptability"
> scheme="a4a:AdaptabilityCharacteristic"
> content="Braille" />
>
> which is what I think you are suggesting?? But as you can see from the
> above, I admit that I'm struggling to put that gut-feeling into a
> coherent argument! :-(
I dunno if this helps or not, but I think we need to remember that the
reason we coin properties is to use those properties to make statements
about things "out there in the world". Each of those statements says
resource-1 is-related-in-some-specified-way-to resource-2
So in the examples above, we have three resources:
(a) the document, (b) the concept of control only by keyboard, (c) the
Braille format
We want to make statements relating (a) to (b) and relating (a) to (c).
Whar is the relationship between (a) and (b)? What statement do I want
to make with (a) as subject and (b) as object value? What is the
"verb"? Something like "can be controlled using"?
Similarly, what is the relationship between (a) and (c)? What statement
do I want to make with (a) as subject and (c) as object value? What is
the "verb"? I don't think it is the same as for (a) and (b). I think it
is something like "can be displayed using"?
Now sure, we can coin a property that captures both ("can be dsplayed
or controlled using"), but the more different relationships we try to
collapse into one property ("can be displayed or controlled using or
has a supporting tool", "can be displayed or controlled using or has a
supporting tool or (some other factor related to adaptability)"), the
more general and imprecise the property becomes.
In any one particular use of the property I can't tell whether the
statement is intended to convey a "can be displayed using" or "can be
controlled using" relationship. I'm left to guess from the type of the
value what the type of the relationship is. (Ah, the value is a class
of tool, so the realtionship must be "has supporting tool", not "is
controlled using" etc). (As Andy says, we have exactly this problem
with dc:format, and probably also with dc:coverage)
As you collapse more different relationships into a single property,
you eventually end up with something not far from dc:relation - which
says only that there is some unspecified relationship - here something
to do with adaptability - between (a) and (b). And (it seems to me)
people very rarely want to say only that: they want to express a
specific type of relationship.
Pete
-------
Pete Johnston
Research Officer (Interoperability)
UKOLN, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
tel: +44 (0)1225 383619 fax: +44 (0)1225 386838
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ukoln/staff/p.johnston/
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