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Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture & Taxonomies Conference 6-7 November 2003, Sydney actKM Meeting 3 February 2004

Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Page 1: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study -

Kathleen LazzariManager, Resource Discovery

Centrelink

Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture & Taxonomies Conference 6-7 November 2003, Sydney

actKM Meeting 3 February 2004

Page 2: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Topics• Definitions

• Centrelink – the organisation and I&T context

• Centrelink Thesaurus– The taxonomy : content and technology– Steps in development– Search, navigation and other benefits– Current enhancements– Future opportunities

• Training and promotion

Page 3: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Definitions• Controlled vocabulary

– Managed set/list of words or phrases

• Taxonomy– Classification tool, pre-defined system– Defines groups and subgroups– Framework for discussion, analysis, information retrieval– Provides terms of a domain – in context– Represents a structured relationship

Page 4: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Definitions• Thesaurus

– Reference tool which groups synonyms, defines relationships

– Controlled vocabulary– Taxonomy– Examples: www.lub.lu.se/metadata/subject-

help.html

Page 5: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Centrelink - the organisation

• Australia’s largest supplier of Commonwealth govt products, services

• Australian govt’s one stop shop for services• I &T Network – World’s ninth largest• 27 000 staff, more than 450 sites• Australia’s largest single purpose call centre

network• Client departments – partners

Page 6: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Centrelink – the organisation (cont.)

• Facts and figures:– www.centrelink.gov.au– 6.4 million customers– 12 million online transactions daily– Per annum:

• $53.4 billion paid• Almost 100 million letters to customers• 5.3 million new claims• Over 23 million phone calls

Page 7: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Centrelink – the organisation (cont.)

• ‘Government and community sensitive’, often rapid change– Policy, legislation, budget initiatives etc– Ansett collapse, Bali bombings, drought, ACT

fires• Need to ‘get it right’• Major assets: people, information

Page 8: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Centrelink – I&T context

• Constant, often rapid, change

• Substantial costs to change tools, platforms

• Lotus investment– Desktop tools– Internet platform, search engine, approx 2000+ pages

• Intranet– Over 45 000 pages– Unix, flat HTML, Cold Fusion applications, Verity search

engine

Page 9: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Centrelink – I&T context

• Business intelligence – growing importance• Government injection of funds for I&T refresh• Web content management system implementation

– Sun/divine’s content server

• Distributed authors, publishers• Dissemination of / reliance on data and

information• Exhaustive, specific info retrieval required

Page 10: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Centrelink – I&T context (cont.)

• AGLS metadata standard : good practice to policy

• Content and records management

• Record keeping metadata standard

• Organisation taxonomy – Centrelink Thesaurus

Page 11: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Centrelink Thesaurus:the taxonomy

• Large, hierarchical list of terms and names– groups, subgroups, synonyms– thirty ‘top’ terms– to approx 3 levels

• Defines relationships– broad, narrow, related

• Defines preferred terms (approx 3000)– maps ‘non-preferred’ terms, abbreviations,

acronyms

Page 12: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Centrelink Thesaurus:the taxonomy (cont.)

• Tracks changes over time– former name, later name– scope and history

• Centrelink business coverage– subject focus– includes payments, teams, programs, govt.

bodies, organisations

Page 13: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Centrelink Thesaurus:the technology

• DB2 database

• Corporate standards and processes

• From Cold Fusion to API with Java (J2EE)

• Constructed in accordance with ISO 2788

Page 14: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Steps in development

1. Identification of need, benefits

2. Prioritisation of objectives

Page 15: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Steps in development (cont.)

3. Environmental scan– standards and manuals

• ISO 2788 • Aitchison, J. Thesaurus construction and use.

– existing taxonomies– online information– stakeholders

4. Acquisition of expertise

5. Identification, specification of tools, database, methodology

Page 16: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Steps in development (cont.)

6. Population of taxonomy

• base taxonomy (APAIS) : National Library of Australia

7. Documentation of processes, procedures, policy

8. Initial launch and implementation (July 2001)

9. Database redesign (API, Java) 2002-03

10. Planned re-launch late 2003

Page 17: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Search, navigation and other benefits

Discovery of resources in web environments Support of indexing for information retrieval

• controlled values for metadata

Searching: high recall, precision, more options, consistency

Navigation: enhanced, consistent• index generation• browse

Page 18: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Search, navigation and other benefits

Examples of what can be managed• Youth / Teenagers / Adolescents / Young

people• Aurally disabled / Deaf• Website / Web site• ATO / Australian Taxation Office/ Tax

Office• DFaCS? / FaCS? / DFCS?

Page 19: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Search, navigation and other benefits

New language created/adopted

Language standardised in Thesaurus

Thesaurus useda language authority

Corporate language appears in content

Content indexed with Thesaurus terms

Easier, consistent search, navigation

and retrieval

Page 20: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Other benefits

Information management• efficiencies in content management

Support internal and external sites• intranet, staff portal development • cross agency consistency, compatibility• online services & information for customers,

clients• eg: fed.gov.au, customer themed portals

Support govt initiatives, eg Government Online Strategy

Page 21: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Current enhancements Database tables redesigned to enable

– taxonomy subsets• create once, use many

– efficient management of vocabularies

– accommodation of definitions (glossary function)

– integration with web content management system (authoring, indexing, harvesting)

– integration with other applications

Page 22: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Future opportunities

• Browse and search tool– big picture of enterprise information

• Facilitate end user 'always right'

• Positioning for advances in 'auto categorisation' software

• Increasingly consistent, correct language

• Integration with ‘structured’ info tools, products, search, navigation

• Supply of business definitions

Page 23: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Other info stores

Future opportunities (cont.)

FunctionThesaurus

Subject Thesaurus

Data dictionary

End user search/browse/view

Page 24: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Training and promotion

• Staff who maintain the taxonomy mustbe appropriately qualified and trainedbe advanced in the language of the taxonomyhave advanced communication skills

• Authors, publishers will require training

Page 25: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Training and promotion (cont.)

• Management needs to understand commitment, opportunities, efficiencies

• Particularly need to educate, promote with– content managers– records managers– knowledge managers– CIO– I&T staff managing above tools

Page 26: Centrelink Thesaurus - a case study - Kathleen Lazzari Manager, Resource Discovery Centrelink Abbreviated version of a paper given at the Information Architecture

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Thank you

Kathleen Lazzari

Manager, Resource Discovery

Data Shop, Centrelink

Ph 02 6244 1438

© Commonwealth of Australia