Order Out of Chaos: Creating and Valuing Taxonomies Information Highways Conference e-Content Institute April 6, 2005 [email protected]

Order Out of Chaos:Creating and Valuing

Taxonomies

Information Highways Conferencee-Content Institute

April 6, 2005

[email protected]

Information Highways, April 6, 2005 © Denise Bruno 2

Agenda Fun! Controlled vocabularies Value of taxonomies Types of taxonomies Taxonomy development


“The value of knowledge is largely tied to the way in which that knowledge is organized. If you can’t find it, it’s not likely to be of much use to you.”

Marc RapportUnfolding Knowledge

Knowledge Management E-zine

Exercise

Put the slips in some sort of order so that they are of use

to you.


Taxonomies, Metadata and Classification

8-week courseProfessional Learning Centre

Faculty of Information StudiesUniversity of Toronto

http://plc.fis.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=165

Bonus: Intranet Taxonomy Resource Centre

Controlled Vocabularies


Definitions Controlled Vocabulary

An indexing language, i.e., a standardized set of terms and phrases authorized for use in an indexing system to describe a subject area or information domain.

A collection of preferred and non-preferred terms that are used to assist in more precise retrieval of content.


Purpose Translation

From natural language of authors and users into a vocabulary used for indexing and retrieval

Consistency In the assignment of index terms

Indication of Relationships Semantic relationships among terms

Retrieval Searching aid in retrieval of documents

(source: ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2003, Guidelines for the Construction, Format, and Management of Monolingual Thesauri)


Types of Controlled Vocabularies

dd

(source: U of T, Professional Learning Centre, Intranet Taxonomy Resource Centre)


Pick List A list of words Most basic of controlled

vocabularies No synonyms identified No guidance provided


Synonym Ring A list of words to be treated as

equivalent in meaning for the purposes of searching

Every term in the ring in synonymous to the others


Synonym Ring



Authority File Provides higher level of control than

a synonym ring Designates one term as being

preferred Includes references from synonyms,

abbreviations, and acronyms to the preferred term

AKA a subject list


Authority File



Taxonomy Defines hierarchical relationships

between the terms Goes from the general to the

specific Strict taxonomy is a Genus/species

relationship, i.e. “is a” relationshipe.g. russet “is a” type of potato


Taxonomy



Taxonomy “Taxis” – arrange, put in order

“Onoma” – name

Is the end result of the science, laws, or principles of classification


Taxonomy (From Greek “taxis” meaning arrangement or division and

“nomos” meaning law) is the science of classification according to a pre-determined system, with the resulting catalog used to provide a conceptual framework for discussion, analysis, or information retrieval.

In theory, the development of a good taxonomy takes into account the importance of separating elements of a group (“taxon”) into subgroups (“taxa”) that are mutually exclusive, unambiguous, and taken together, include all possibilities.

In practice, a good taxonomy should be simple, easy to remember, and easy to use.

(source: www.whatis.com)


Taxonomy “Structures that provide a way of classifying

things – living organisms, products, books – into a series of hierarchical groups to make them easier to identify, study, or locate. Taxonomies consist of two parts – structures and applications. Structures consist of the categories (or terms) themselves and the relationships that link them together. Applications are the navigation tools available to help users find information.”

(source: Jean Graef, Montague Institute)


Thesaurus A type of controlled vocabulary

that shows the following relationships among terms: hierarchical (e.g. parent-child BT, NT) associative (e.g. related RT) equivalent (e.g. synonymous U, UF)

Also includes scope notes (definitions)


Thesaurus



User Warrant Justification for the representation of a

concept in an indexing language or for the selection of a preferred term because of frequent requests for information on the concept or free-text searches on the term by users of an information storage and retrieval system(source: ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2003, Guidelines for the Construction, Format, and Management of Monolingual Thesauri)


Classification Classification refers to the systematic grouping of

like things or objects into classes or categories according to some shared quality or characteristic.

Implies the separation of things according to their degree of unlikeness.

The term “classification” can refer either to the process of defining the categories and structure of a classification scheme or to the process of assigning documents to their appropriate categories.



Classification Scheme A scheme for arranging a collection of

information in a hierarchical order using a controlled vocabulary to express the categories.

Frequently referred to as a “taxonomy”.

Also known as a file plan.



Metadata Data about data “Metadata is structured

information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes is easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource.”

(source: ITRC)


Important A taxonomy describes the domain

(e.g. subject) being used for classification, but is not itself metadata However, it can be used in metadata

Does not address naming conventions for individual files (records) Separate policy/procedure


Value of Taxonomies


“…the primary motives for developing an internal taxonomy were to improve information access and to save time by streamlining the search process.”

Taxonomies for Business:Access and Connectivity in a Wired World, TFPL Ltd.


Information Environment Paper Facsimiles Electronic docs Email Chat boards White boards Legacy databases

Instant messaging Intranet materials Internet materials Workflow Video Audio Microforms


Information Environment No standards for info design or else too

vague or incapable of being enforced Separate offices/divisions, many with

own IT shops, build separate info systems

Cultures of competitiveness or mistrust Legacy systems difficult to change Managers still looking for silver bullet


Value of Taxonomies Identification – Controls the glut of information by

filtering, categorizing and labeling information Navigation – Reduces the likelihood of becoming

lost by moving along logical paths; facilitates browsing

Discovery – Aids the serendipitous find, new associations via inference

Searching – Provides context, reduces search time, improves search engine performance

Delivery – Improves retrieval, for both browsing and free text searches

Types of Taxonomies


Structural Model - Hierarchies

Generic (Genus/Species)

“is – a” kind of relationship

Mutual exclusivity Strictest of

hierarchies

(source: Barbara Kwasnik, The Role of Classification in Knowledge Representation and Discovery, Library Trends, Summer 1999, pp.22-47)

Eye Diseases Conjunctival Diseases

Conjunctival Neoplasm

Conjunctivitis Keratoconjunctivi

tis Corneal Diseases

(from MeSH)



Whole-Part

Does not assume genus/species

One-way flow of information

Websites/directories

Automobile Body Engine Block

Pistons Valves

Interior Upholstery



Musical Instruments

Stringed PercussionInstruments Instruments

Pianos

Polyhierarchical

Concepts belong to more than one category


Emphasis of Taxonomy Department Subject/Topic

For a discrete body of knowledge Familiar to most users

Product/Services Internal or external focus

Audience User-centric

Geography/Location









Emphasis of Taxonomy Function

Functions represent the major responsibilities that are managed by the organization to fulfill its goals

Source of information Government of Canada, Information

Management Services, BASCS (Business Activity Structure Classification System)

(http://www.collectionscanada.ca/information-management/0630_e.html)


Function Taxonomy Example

Collection Part

Section Primary

Secondary

Collection 2: ABC Company Management Part 3: Financial Management

Section 05: Financial Reporting and Auditing Primary 03: Audit Working Papers (2-3-05-03)

Secondary 01: Audit Confirmations (2-3-05-03-01)

Whole-Part Example:Function-based


“Though figuring out where to start can be frustrating, a good taxonomy is recognized as a central part of a knowledge management system.”

Thomas TrimmerPresident, GrapeVine Technologies

Taxonomy Development


High-level Overview Domain and Purpose Rules Data Gathering Develop Draft Taxonomy Consult & Test Refine & Finalize Document Train & Educate Users Ensure Continued Development


IMPORTANT!

Project Process

There is no “end”.A taxonomy is never “finished”.


Denise BrunoAssociate

CONDAR Consulting [email protected]

905-642-5596

Documents

Order Out of Chaos: Creating and Valuing Taxonomies Information Highways Conference e-Content Institute April 6, 2005 [email protected]