Topic Maps Emerge as a "Hot Topic"

In early January, ISO/IEC published a new standard, "13250 Topic Maps" and since that time, Topic Maps are revealing themselves to be the next "hot" technology.  What are Topic Maps?  And why are they "hot"?

Topic Maps are SGML or XML documents that describe what an information set is about, by formally declaring topics, and by linking the relevant parts of the information set to the appropriate topics. Topic Maps may be included within a document or be a separate document overarching an information set.  As such Topic Maps provide a navigation map, or style sheet for navigation to the information set.  Topic Maps are usually thought to be "above" an information set and provide a superimposed view that allows us to navigate the information set. A topic map expresses one opinion about what the topics are, and which parts of an information set are relevant to which topics. 

There is no limit to the number of topic maps that can be created above the same information set.  So it is quite feasible to have dramatically different maps over the same information set.  Equally interesting is the fact that Topic Maps can be built above any information source.  So Topic Maps can be built over XML or SGML documents.  But they may also map into an unlimited variety of other formats such as HTML, PDF, ASCII, databases ...  And Topic Maps do not require that the information set be of a single source type.  They can be created over an information set with varying data source types.

According the the "Frequently Asked Questions about Topic Maps" on the InfoLoom site  "They [Topic Maps] lead the XML paradigm forward, opening the way for a "global positioning system for the Web", as Charles F. Goldfarb put it. They enable multiple alternative models of knowledge domains to coexist, and to work together, in a way that has not been available before. Topic Maps are capable of supporting and revealing immensely complex interrelationships within and among the concepts related to various fields of endeavor, and to provide master indexes to arbitrarily large and comprehensive bodies of information. The Topic Maps international standard (ISO/IEC 13250:1999) provides a way for information management system vendors to allow their finding aids to interoperate, and this breaks down barriers to information access between customers of different vendors. Topic Maps also heralds the day when there will be more and more comprehensive indexes of human knowledge, and when such indexes will be easier and easier to use, because they will be able to suppress irrelevant information more efficiently than ever before, and with a minimum of effort on the part of the user."

Several indicators point to the fact that Topic Maps will be the next "hot" technology.  First is the global interest in Topic Maps.  Presentations and tutorials about Topic Maps are becoming more mainstream.  Leading publishers have recently included coverage of Topic Maps in their XML texts.  Just take a look at the second edition of the XML Handbook by Goldfarb and Prescod.  By this time next year, you will find a number of titles focusing directly on Topic Mapping.  For XML Europe 2000, over 30 papers dealing with Topic Maps have been submitted, resulting in a complete track focusing on this new technology.  You will find many papers on Topic Maps at the new Extreme Markup Languages Conference this summer in Montreal as well.

Further interest in Topic Maps is evidenced by the emergence of a new standards activity to bring Topic Maps to the Web. This work began in August 1999 at Metastructures Conference in Montreal.  The new specification, now officially named XML Topic Maps "XTM" is being developed by a group known as TopicMaps.org and being hosted by IDEAlliance.org.  This working group is open to anyone and is being chaired by Steve Newcomb and Michel Biezunski, editors of the ISO standard.  Any organization may send a delegate to take part as either a participating member or an advisory member.  You can learn more about this activity at the eGroups Web site by registering for XTM-WG at www.egroups.com.  The next working group meeting will be in Paris in conjunction with XML Europe 2000.

Finally you can expect to see more companies providing topic mapping software soon.  At the Topic Maps workshop during XML 99, six prototype TM technologies were shown.  Infoloom  and STEP have announced that they are developing topic map products.  Others are likely to follow.

Topic Maps will be a hot, new technology for the millenium, compatible with XML and the family of XML standards.  It is an international standard that enables us to capture, enrich, and interchange and linking maps for knowledge.  If you are not familiar with Topic Maps, you should be.  Be sure to attend a session on Topic Maps at any upcoming conference to learn more about this promising technology.

Dianne Kennedy

Editor, XML Files