gdmxml: An XML Implementation of the GENTECH Genealogical Data Model

1. gdmxml:An XML Implementation of the GENTECH Genealogical Data Model Hans Fugal

2. GDM: What and Why? • GENTECH Genealogical Data Model, by the Lexicon Working Group • It models the way genealogists do things and the data they collect, not just the conclusions.

3. GDM Submodels • Administration • Evidence • Conclusion

4. Administration Submodel • Projects and researchers • Research objectives and activities • Source groups and surety schemes

5. Evidence Submodel • Sources and citation parts • Representations • Repositories

6. Conclusion Submodel • Personas • Events • Characteristics • Groups • Assertions

7. Assertions • Based on a source or on lower-level assertions • Links two subjects with a value or role

8. Useful Subject Combinations

9. XML: What and Why? • Extensible Markup Language • Markup adds structure and meaning to documents • Human-readable • Machine-readable • Many tools available for processing and transforming XML • Perfect for data exchange between software

10. Elements <persona> <name>Hans Fugal</name></persona>

11. Attributes <persona id=“someid”>…</persona>

12. Namespaces • Define scope • Extensibility (expert systems) • gdmxml: http://gdmxml.fugal.net/beta

13. RELAX NG • Well-formed vs. Valid; Schemas describe what is valid. • RELAX NG is a schema language • More powerful than XSD • Easier than XSD • Compact syntax easier to author

14. XSD Persona <xs:element name="persona"> <xs:complexType> <xs:all> <xs:element ref="ns1:name"/> <xs:element minOccurs="0" ref="ns1:description-comments"/> </xs:all> <xs:attribute name="id" use="required" type="xs:ID"/> </xs:complexType> </xs:element>

15. RELAX NG Persona <element name="persona"> <attribute name="id"> <data type="ID"/> </attribute> <interleave> <element name="name"><text/></element> <optional> <element name="description-comments"> <text/></element> </optional> </interleave> </element>

16. RELAX NG Compact Syntax Persona element persona { attribute id { xsd:ID }, ( element name { text } & element description-comments { text }? ) }

17. RELAX NG Compact Syntax Key • \activity – reference • * – zero or more • + – one or more • ? – zero or one • & – interleave • | – logical OR • # – comment

18. Walkthrough and Discussion • gdmxml.rnc • gdmxml.rng – generated automatically • fugl.xml – A sample gdmxml document

19. Future Directions • Use as a file export in software • Conversion to and from GEDCOM • Use XSLT to create HTML, PDF, or other formats in various views • Example stylesheet to show all the assertions • Pedigrees, FGR sheets, various reports • We need a standard taxonomy before we can guarantee interoperability with the GDM.

20. Changes from the GDM:Summary • SEARCH refers to REPOSITORY-SOURCE instead of REPOSITORY and SOURCE separately • CHARACTERISTIC may have no PLACE reference. (What place is associated with natural hair color) • GROUP may omit PLACE reference. (e.g. persona groups) • Some data implied rather than explicit (e.g. sequence)

21. GDM Questions Raised • REPRESENTATION and SOURCE • When is it a REPRESENTATION, and when is it a SOURCE or perhaps CITATION-PART? • URIs, MIME types, and encoding representations.

22. For More Information • http://gdmxml.fugal.net • hans@fugal.net • http://www.gentech.org