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XML, CM, and KM KMWorld 2001 Thursday November 1, 2001. Agenda. What is XML? What does it offer? What are some of the weaknesses? Trends in XML, CM, and KM. Why XML?. A critical component of KM involves knowledge representation and codification
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Agenda • What is XML? • What does it offer? • What are some of the weaknesses? • Trends in XML, CM, and KM
Why XML? • A critical component of KM involves knowledge representation and codification • To support knowledge activities, computers must have access to structured collections of information and sets of inference rules that they can use to conduct automated reasoning
What is XML? • Structured data interchange • A common syntax for expressing structure in data • Designed to account for “unstructured” data • Documents • Inherently conveys meaning/structure • Content and process separate from structure • Delivered via standard text files
XML Example – Rich Site Summary <?xml version="1.0"?> <!DOCTYPE rss PUBLIC "-//Netscape Communications//DTD RSS 0.91//EN" "http://my.netscape.com/publish/ formats/rss-0.91.dtd"> <rss version="0.91" encoding= "ISO_8859-1"> <channel> <title>book news</title> <link>http://www.test.com</link> <description>Book news - headlines from around the web, refreshed every 15 minutes</description> <language>en-us</language> </channel>
Headlines <item> <title> 'Author Unknown' by Don Foster </title> <link> http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2001/10/30/pbacks/index.html </link> <description> Salon Nov 1 2001 6:51AM </description> </item>
XML is open • Open standards NOT proprietary • Platform neutral, license-free and widely supported • Influenced by a number of standards organization • Agreement on a number of core standards in the XML family
XML strengths • Flexible • Make collaborative information exchange simpler • Less expensive implementation • Light-weight software modules • Separates content from processing • Easily internationalized • Full Unicode support • Enables complex information retrieval
XML is flexible • Very flexible – you can define your own languages, vocabulary, and metadata • Easily extended by adding additional elements (fields) and attributes • Data description can be sent with the data
XML enables less expensive implementation • Implementation tools are modularized • XML browser can be implemented in less than 200K • HTML browser > 4MB to 80 MB • Standard syntax makes processing easier and therefore less expensive • Simple implementation of “validity checking” • Lower cost • Allow small and medium-sized organizations to participate in data exchange initiatives
XML separates content from process • Doesn’t impose a particular manner for processing • Doesn’t impose constraints on how to handle information • Same data can be used in web page, hand held device through simple “transformations” • “loosely coupled” • “future proof”
XML is easily internationalized • Unicode standard supports a wide range of languages and scripts • Latin (Western and Eastern European, non-western languages) • Greek • Cyrillic • Hebrew • Arabic • Armenian • Georgian • Thai • Lao • Hangul (Korean) • Ideographs (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) • Hiragana and Katakana (Japanese) • Cherokee • Khmer • Ethiopian
XML enables complex information retrieval • Supports encoding of metadata through both standardized and constructed tag sets
XML downsides • Space, processor, and bandwidth hog • Just a document syntax, not a full-fledged programming language • Doesn’t work for binary data • Is a regression from centralized and efficient databanks • Specifications are not complete
XML and content management • CM systems repositories use XML for tagging and storing information • CM systems use XML as a standard protocol for integration with other applications • XML is invisible to the information creator • XML markup created as the information is captured
Emerging Standards For KM • XTM • OPML • RFML • FLBC • Industry specific standards: • Legal • Publishing • Scientific research
XTM: Topic Maps • Topic maps are a new ISO standard for describing knowledge structures and associating them with information resources • Used to organize information into knowledge bases • “GPS” for information • http://www.topicmaps.org/xtm/index.html “A book without an index is like a country without a map”
OPML • Outline Processor Markup Language • Outline-structured information • Used for data the is easily browsed and editable • Specifications • Legal briefs • Product plans • Presentations • Screenplays • Directories
RFML • Relational-functional markup language • Used to define relationship and functions among data elements • Tables within relational databases • Relational views
FLBC • Formal Language for Business Communication • Automated communication • Conversation management • Dialog management • Based on speech act theory • Formally defined message types • Broad range of message types • Defined in terms of intentions • Clear delineation between message type and content
XML in Use • Portals • Content management & syndication • Content management: industry sector • Integration • Analytical/decision making • Search and retrieval • Visualization