Modelling

Many types of entities which play a role a role in the RNA use cases, for instance:

• content types, like articles, related to metadata blocks
• object descriptions, like "green glass bottle"
• descriptions of co mplex objects, like compound objects with relations to descriptions of contexts
• reference structures
• relations between concepts of different reference structures

The RNA-project deals with linking knowledge (in the form of articles, object descriptions, images, audiovisuals etcetera), and to realize that all entities must be modelled in a more or less unified way.

Topics we work on in this product group:

• Modelling of reference and objects
• Cidoc-crm models (see below)
• Object profiles and context profiles
• Interfacing to databases
• Conversions

Cidoc-crm

Cidoc-crm is a model for the description of museum objects (among other things) developed by the International Concil of Museums (ICOM). It is shortly to become officially accepted as an ISO standard. Cidoc is a department within ICOM; crm stands for conceptual reference model. The model is object-oriented and RDF-compatible.

The main advantage of object description in Cidoc-crm/RDF format has to be that it creates a very flexible and generally usable model that can also be linked very easily to reference structures that have also been set up according to the RDF format. Currently there exists relatively little knowledge of and experience with regard to the practical application of Cidoc-crm.