ICS-FORTH April 26, 2001 1 The CIDOC CRM, a Conceptual Model for Cultural Documentation Martin Doerr Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas Institute

1ICS-FORTH April 26, 2001

The CIDOC CRM, a Conceptual Model for Cultural Documentation

Martin Doerr

Foundation for Research and Technology - HellasInstitute of Computer Science

Heraklion,April 26, 2001

Center for Cultural Informatics


The CIDOC CRMScope

Aspects of cultural information:

Collection description (art, archeology, natural history….)

Archives and literature (records, treaties, letters, artful works..)

Administration, preservation, conservation of material heritage

Science and scholarship – investigation, interpretation

Presentation – exhibition making, teaching, publication

ICS-FORTH April 26, 2001

System

disciplines

viewpoints

Precision/detail Technical

complexity

Conceptualframework

Activities

Communication

Research

CollectionManagement

Info - Objects

Current culturalpriorities

how

how

talksabout

mapsservesin order

to

The CIDOC CRMScope


The CIDOC CRM Historical Archives….

Type: TextTitle: Protocol of Proceedings of Crimea Conference Title.Subtitle: II. Declaration of Liberated Europe Date: February 11, 1945.Creator: The Premier of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The President of the United States of AmericaPublisher: State DepartmentSubject: Postwar division of Europe and Japan

“The following declaration has been approved:The Premier of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the President of the United States of America have consulted with each other in the common interests of the people of their countries and those of liberated Europe. They jointly declare their mutual agreement to concert… ….and to ensure that Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the world…… “

DocumentsMetadata

About…


The CIDOC CRM Images, non-verbose…

Type: ImageTitle: Allied Leaders at Yalta Date: 1945Publisher: United Press International (UPI)Source: The Bettmann ArchiveCopyright: CorbisReferences: Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin Photos, Persons

Metadata

About…


The CIDOC CRM Places and Objects

TGN Id: 7012124Names: Yalta (C,V), Jalta (C,V) Types: inhabited place(C), city (C)Position: Lat: 44 30 N,Long: 034 10 EHierarchy: Europe (continent) <– Ukrayina (nation) <– Krym (autonomous republic)Note: …Site of conference between Allied powers in WW II in 1945; ….Source: TGN, Thesaurus of Geographic Names

Places, Objects

About…

Title: Yalta, Crimean PeninsulaPublisher: Kurgan-LisnetSource: Liaison Agency


The CIDOC CRM Explicit Events, Object Identity,

Symmetry

carried out

participated in

has created E31 Document“Yalta Agreement”

E7 Activity

“Crimea Conference”

E65 Creation

*

E38 Image

falls within

took place at

refers to

E52 Time-Span

February 1945

at least covering

at most within

E39 Actor

E39 Actor

E39 Actor

E53 Place7012124

E52 Time-Span

11-2-1945


The CIDOC CRM The Role of the CRM

Legacy systems

Legacy systems

Databases

World Phenomena

?

Data structures &Presentation models

Conceptualization

abstracts fromapproximates

explains,motivates

organize

refer to

Data in various forms


The CIDOC CRM Metaschema of the CIDOC CRM

participate in

Actors

Types

Conceptual Objects

Physical Entities

Temporal Entities

Ap

pel

lati

ons

affect or / refer to

refer to / refine

refe

r to

/ i d

ent i f

ie

location

atwithinPlaces

Time-Spans


The CIDOC CRM The Temporal Entity Hierarchy


The CIDOC CRM Temporal Entity

Temporal Entity

This is an abstract entity and has no examples. It groups together things such as events, states and other phenomena which

are limited in time. It is specialized into Period, which holds on some geographic area, and Condition State, which holds for, on, or over a certain object.

— consists of related or similar phenomena,

— Is limited in time, is the only link to time, but not time itself

— spreads out over a place or object (physical or not).

— the core of a model of physical history, open for unlimited

specialisation.


The CIDOC CRM Temporal Entity- Subclasses

Period binds together related phenomena introduces inclusion topologies - parts etc. Is confined in space and time the basic unit for temporal-spatial reasoning

Event looks at the input and the outcome the basic unit for causal reasoning each event is a period if we study the process

Activity brings the people in adds purpose


The CIDOC CRM Temporal Entity- Main Properties

Temporal Entity Properties: has time-span (is time-span of): Time-Span

Period Properties: consists of (forms part of): Period

falls within (contains): Period took place at (witnessed): Place

Event Properties: had participants (participated in): Actor

occurred in the presence of (was present at): Stuff

Activity Properties: carried out by (performed): Actor

had specific purpose (was purpose of): Activity had as general purpose (was purpose of): Type

was intended use of (was made for): Man-Made Object


custody_changed_byTransfer of Epitaphios GE34604 (entity Transfer of Custody, Acquisition)

custody_surrendered_byMetropolitan Church of the Greek Community of Ankara (see above)

transfers_title_fromMetropolitan Church of the Greek Community of Ankara (see above)

custody_received_byMuseum Benaki (see above)

transfers_title_toExchangable Fund of Refugees (entity Legal Body)

has typenational foundation

carried out byExchangable Fund of Refugees (see above)

has time-span- (entity Time-Span)

begins at 1923 (entity Date)ends at

1928 (entity Date)took place at

Greece (entity Place)has type

nationrepublic

falls withinEurope (entity Place)

has typecontinent

Metadata and the CIDOC CRM Instantiation sample of the CIDOC CRM


The CIDOC CRM Place

Place A place is an extent in space, determined diachronically wrt a

larger, persistent constellation of matter, often continents -

by coordinates, geophysical features, artefacts, communities, political systems, objects - but not identical to.

A “CRM Place” is not a landscape, not a seat - it is an abstraction from temporal changes - “the place where…”

A means to reason about the “where” in multiple reference

systems.

Examples: figures from the bow of a ship, African dinosaur foot-prints in Portugal ( to which degree are “fiat objects” places?)


The CIDOC CRM Place - Main Properties

Place

names identify non-uniquely places - TGN-like reasoning

places form 2, even 3-dimensional topologies.

Properties:

is identified by (identifies): Appellation

consists of (forms part of): Place

falls within (contains): Place


The CIDOC CRM Time-Span - Main Properties

Time-Span :

determined by specific dates, expressions, “the time when…”

intervals: distinguish uncertainty from duration: Processes have characteristic durations, our interest has a certain scale. A suitable “time-primitive” should support temporal reasoning. (Allen’s logic is not for uncertainty !)

forms one-dimensional topologies.

Properties: is identified by (identifies): Time-Appellation at least covering: Time Primitive at most within: Time Primitive consists of (forms part of): Time-Span falls within (contains): Time-Span


time

after

at most within

at least covering

before

“in

ten

sity

”

The CIDOC CRM Time Uncertainty, Certainty and Duration

duration


0,n 1,1

0,n 1,n

Activity

Type

Event

CIDOC Entity String has notes

CIDOC Notion

has type

is type of

The CIDOC CRM Activities


0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n 0,n

0,n

Measurement

Attribute Assignment

Physical Entity Dimension value unit

has dimension (is dimension of)

was measured (measured) observed dimension (was observed)

The CIDOC CRM Activities: Measurement


0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n

1,1 0,n

0,n Activity

Condition Assessment

Physical Entity Condition State has conditions (condition of)

assessed by (concerns) has identified (identified by)

Actor carried out by (performed)

in the role of

Temporal Entity

The CIDOC CRM Activities: Condition Assessment


0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n 0,n 0,n 0,n

Activity

Acquisition

Actor Physical Object is current owner of (has current owner)

is former or current owner of (has former or current owner)

acquires title of (transferred title to)

transferred title of (changed ownership by) surrenders title of (transferred title from)

The CIDOC CRM Activities: Acquisition


0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n 0,1 0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n 0,n 0,n

0,n 0,n 0,n 0,n

Activity

Move

Physical Object Place

moved by (moved)

moved to (occupied)

has current location (currently holds)

moved from (vacated)

Type had as general purpose (was purpose of)

has specific purpose (was purpose of)

has current permanent location (is ~ of)

has former or current location (is ~ of)

The CIDOC CRM Activities: Move


0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n 0,n

0,n

0,n

0,n 0,n

0,n 0,n

0,n

Activity

Modification

Physical Entity

has produced (was produced by)

Actor carried out by (performed) in the role of

Type used general technique (was technique of)

Man-Made Entity

Design or Procedure

used specific technique (was used by)

Material

consists of (is incorporated in)

usually employs (is usually employed by)

The CIDOC CRM Activities: Modification/Production


The CIDOC CRM Entity 11: Modification

Properties: is called (identifies): Period Appellation has type (is type of): Type had participants (participated in): Actor carried out by (performed): Actor

(in the role of : Type) has produced (was produced by): Physical Man-Made Stuff took into account (was taken into account by): Conceptual Object occurred in the presence of (was present at): Stuff used object (was used for): Physical Object (mode of use: String) used general technique (was technique of): Type used specific technique (was used by): Design or Procedure was motivation for (motivated): Conceptual Object motivated the creation of (was created for): Conceptual Object was intended use of (was made for): Man-Made Object (mode of use: String) had specific purpose (was purpose of): Activity had as general purpose (was purpose of): Type

declared properties

inherited properties

inherited properties

declared properties


The CIDOC CRMSome Major Ideas

Fundamental categories: Temporal Entity, “Stuff”, Actors, Place, Date, Appellation, Types

Event-centric: Actors, Stuff, Place and Date connect ONLY through Temporal Entities

(events and states). Date is subordinate to event relations, auxiliary.

Reasoning on world names: Naming activities as historical facts

Unlimited decomposition: Any Date, Place, Period, Object may subdivide into parts

Extensibility: Creation of subclasses, subproperties, indirection of properties


The CIDOC CRM Conclusions

The CIDOC Model is the first international data standard for the cultural area

It is a rich intellectual framework for the analysis of cultural contents (physical world)

It is a powerful component for implementation of information systems

Its extensibility should give it a long validity.


Applications:The CIMI-Harmony test

Transformation of 4 cultural sources into one common representation

Two models: CRM and ABC-Harmony in XML 200 Relational records from National Museum of Denmark transformation of sources “1-1” into XML transformation of “1-1” into CRM compatible form creation of a simple CRM compatible DTD to transport correct

instances. Therefore — CRM properties mapped as elements.— CRM Entities mapped as data : <in_class>E& Activity</in_class>

Well readable with simple style-sheet


Applications:The Spectrum DTD

Attempt by MDA to create a general DTD for museum documentation

Try to satisfy data entry, genericity and presentation

Based on CRM: mapped entities as elements,properties ignored

Draft stage, still under development.


Applications:The FORTH-GNM Project

Management of documentation for 15 museum departments, 1.5 million objects.

Each department a different XML DTD

Global consistency control on: accession numbers, inventory number.

Authority control on: Object types, persons, periods, places.

Control enforced by underlying data base.

Other queries by contents and tags.