[sc34wg3] Removing added scope from <mergeMap>

[Kal Ahmed]

Source locators (item identifiers...what ever) are a way of tracking
provenance, but only at the level of the source topic map. Scope allows =
you
to track provenance at the level of the *source* itself - e.g. "This
statement is made by the BBC".

As Murray says - we can go around this argument for days, but the fact =
is
that this is a valid use of scope that is being disabled by this change =
to
mergeMap, and not only that, but people are using it in XTM 1.0

If the editors feel that there is a strong reason for removing the =
feature,
then the onus should be on them to explain it to the satisfaction of the
community - not the other way round.

Cheers,

Kal

> -----Original Message-----
> From: sc34wg3-admin@isotopicmaps.org [mailto:sc34wg3-
> admin@isotopicmaps.org] On Behalf Of Geir Ove Gr=F8nmo
> Sent: 16 January 2006 09:57
> To: sc34wg3@isotopicmaps.org
> Subject: Re: [sc34wg3] Removing added scope from <mergeMap>
>=20
> On 1/13/06, Steve Pepper <pepper@ontopia.net> wrote:
> > * Kal Ahmed
> > | ...and in the representation of a merge directive in XTM.
> >
> > Here I would like you to explain why. It was Lars Marius and
> > Graham, editors and implementers, who came up with the idea that
> > added scope on <mergeMap> should be done away with. It was a bit
> > "last minute", so I would be interested to hear from one of their
> > peers, *why* you think this might not be such a good idea.
>=20
> There are two mechanisms you can use to track provenance in topic
> maps. Those are scoping and item identifiers (previously known as
> source locators).
>=20
> Scope only gets you a little further than half-way as it only applies
> to topic characteristics and not the topics themselves. So, given a
> topic with no characteristics there is no way, with scope only, to
> unmerge that particular topic . The only way you can know that is if
> the topic has an item identifier pointing back to the source topic
> map.
>=20
> With item identifiers you get exactly the same "functionality" that
> added scope on <mergeMap> gives you (and more), and you get it for
> free (as do the implementers).
>=20
> Another thing that one should consider in this discussion is that
> there are two things that one does not know the provenance of: subject
> identifiers and subject locators.
>=20
> --
> Geir O.
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>=20