Metadata and Controlled Vocabularies - IA

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Amy J. Warner, Ph.D.

Metadata & Taxonomies for a More Flexible Information

ArchitectureInformation Architecture Summit

March 16, 2002Amy J. Warner, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Amy J. Warner, Ph.D. 2

Outline

What Ill cover: Metadata and IA. Metadata schema. Vocabulary development.

Underlying themes: Standards. Reality. Some IR (information retrieval) issues.


What is Metadata?

Metadata is structured data which describes the characteristics of a resource. It shares many similar characteristics to the cataloguing that takes place in libraries, museums and archives.

Chris TaylorUniversity of Queensland


Types & Functions of MetadataTYPE DEFINITION EXAMPLES

Administrative Metadata used in managing andadministering resources

Acquisition informationRights and reproduction trackingDocumentation of legal accessrequirementsLocation informationVersion control

Descriptive Metadata used to describe oridentify information resources

Cataloging recordsSpecialized indexesHyperlinked relationships betweenresourcesAnnotations by users

Preservation Metadata related to thepreservation of informationresources

Documentation of actions taken topreserve physical and digitalversions of resources (e.g., datarefreshing and migration)

Technical Metadata related to how asystem functions or metadatabehaves

Digitization information (e.g.,formats, compression ratios,scaling routines)Authentication and security data(e.g., encryptions, passwords)

Use Metadata related to the level andtype of use of informationresources

Use and user trackingContent re-use and multi-versioning information

Introduction to Metadata, Getty Information Institute


Confusing Terminology Controlled vocabularies

Subject Headings: traditionally employed in libraries to tag (index) the topics of books and other library materials

Thesauri: traditionally employed in abstracting & indexing services to tag (index) the topics of journal articles and other scholarly material in a given subject area (e.g. medicine, engineering)

Taxonomies: the classification of different organisms into mutually exclusive categories based on phylum species


Levels of Control

Simple Complex

SynonymRings

AuthorityFiles Thesauri

ClassificationSchemes

Equivalence Hierarchical Associative

(Vocabularies)

(Relationships)

Taxonomies


Metadata & IA

Content

UsersBusinessContext

Identify patternsin content

Determine how target audience(s) search for and use information

Determine how stakeholderswant to organize &present

their information


IA Generations

Brochureware

Pages served from database

Metadata-driven website

CMS


Metadata in Metadata-Driven Websites

MetadataRecords

Content

J. Jones xxxx White Paper Employees http://...

Author Title DocType Audience URL

http://.


Two Parts to Generating a Metadata Schema

Decisions about indexable parameters (attributes, aspects) of documents; this corresponds to fields in the database records.

Decisions about the elements (terms, descriptors, subject headings, tags) that these fields contain.


Two Possibilities

Content already exists Identify content that exists--content

inventory. Most or all content does not exist

Use wish lists to identify desired content. To do content inventory, need to go to

those who are going to develop, own, maintain content.


Content Analysis

Look for patterns, similarities: logical--themes, sensitivity, specialization. physical--formats, dynamic vs. static (dated

vs. rarely updated). Look for relationships--note connections

between content (parent-child, sibling, dependencies.

Begin to create groupings.


Generating a Metadata Table The beginning of a metadata-driven website. Determine the major indexable parameters or attributes

for each major document type in your sample. Determine what major types of rules or general guidelines

your indexing system will follow for each attribute. Create an X-by-Y table. Put indexable attributes on the X axis and the rules on the

Y axis. Fill in the decisions you make about each rule application

in the individual cells of the table.


Required Repeatable Auto/Manual Whole doc/Concepts

CV

Author Yes Yes Manual Whole Doc. No

Title Yes No Manual Whole Doc. No

DocType No Yes Manual Whole Doc. DocTypesList

Subject Yes Yes Semi-Auto Concepts SubjectsVocabulary

Audience No No Manual WholeDocument

AudienceList

Metadata Table


User and Stakeholder Involvement

When organizing content, start with the content, generate the metadata, and then evaluate with users and stakeholders.

When organizing entities (i.e. products, projects) where content is not the major focus, start with stakeholders and users to determine metadata.


Identify Terms Published Reference Materials

Thesauri, classification schemes, encyclopedias, dictionaries, glossaries, indexes.

Content Representative sample of web site / intranet.

Users Search log analysis, surveys, interviews.

Experts Authors, subject experts.


Organize Terms Define preferred terms. Link synonyms and variants.

Synonym Rings

Group preferred terms by subject. Identify broader and narrower terms.

Taxonomies / Hierarchies Identify related terms.

Thesauri


Variant Terms

Variant terms provide the user with entrypoints into the vocabulary.

Synonyms (same meaning):cats USE felines helicopters USE whirlybirds

Lexical Variants (different word forms):paediatrics USE pediatrics BK USE Burger King

Quasi-Synonyms (treated as equivalent):generic posting: beagle USE dogantonyms/continuum: wetness USE dryness


Term Specificity

Assuming a good entry vocabulary, increased term specificity allows for improved precision without hurting recall (but costs grow fast).

Vocabulary A Vocabulary B United States United States

California San Diego


Compound TermsArticle Title: Software for Information Architects

Hig

h Pr

ecis

ion

Hig

h R

ecal

lOne Term Information Architecture Software

Two Terms Information Architecture Software

Three Terms Architecture Information Software


Facets

Things (entities)ConceptsProcessesPeopleOrganizationsOccupations

etc.

TopicAudienceIntellectual LevelFormTypeLanguageDate

etc.

Facets of a Topic Facets of Documents

Aspects of Documentsto Index

Controlled Vocabular(ies)


Facet Analysis

Facets come from content inventory, intuition, and users.

Break domain into logical categories or chunks based on how documents need to be managed (both for system and for search).


Polyhierarchy

Strict Hierarchies Each term appears in only

one place in the hierarchy. Essential for placement

of physical objects. Polyhierarchies

Terms cross-listed in multiple categories

Accepts complex nature of reality.


Polyhierarchy

Compound terms neededto manage 6 milliondocuments in Medline.

High level ofpre-coordinationforces polyhierarchy.

Terms may havemore than one BT. Viral

Pneumonia

Diseases

VirusDiseases

RespiratoryTract

Diseases

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)


Facets, Coordination, Specificity

Drying of ApplesDrying of PearsDrying of PeachesCanned ApplesCanned PearsCanned PeachesFrozen ApplesFrozen PearsFrozen PeachesFresh ApplesFresh PearsFresh PeachesFreezing of Canned ApplesCanning of Dried PearsDrying of Fresh Peaches

EntitiesApplesPearsPeaches

ProcessesCanningFreezingDrying

FormsCannedFrozenFresh

ApplesPearsPeachesCanningFreezingDryingCannedFrozenFreshCanning of ApplesCanning of PearsCanning of PeachesFreezing of ApplesFreezing of PearsFreezing of Peaches

Partial List of Potential Combinations


Semantic Relationships

Equivalence: Use/Used For (USE/UF) Leads from variants to preferred

e.g., prams: USE baby carriages

A = B



Hierarchical: Broader Term/Narrower Term (BT/NT)

Types Generic (class/species, inheritance)

Vertebrata NT Amphibia Whole-Part (associative unless exclusive)

Ear NT Vestibular Apparatus Instance (proper name)

Seas NT Mediterranean Sea

AB



Associative: Related Term (RT, See Also) Non-hierarchical and non-equivalent Relation should be strongly implied

e.g., hammers RT nails

A B


Associative Relationships Field of Study and Object of Study:

Forestry RT Forests Process and its Agent:

Temperature Control RT Thermostat Concepts and their Properties:

Poisons RT Toxicity Action and Product of Action:

Weaving RT Cloth Concepts Linked by Causal Dependence:

Bereavement RT Death


Leveraging the Thesaurus User Interface:

Generate browsable indexes (site-wide, sub-site, specialized authority lists).

Enable Field-Specific Searching (filters, zones, sorting).

Support personalization (map profile to vocabulary).

Behind the Scenes: Enable efficient content management. Support decentralized tagging.


Uses of Metadata-Driven Website

Routing Search Navigation


RoutingDocument Stream Metadata Filter Document Subset

From IndividualContributors or Syndication Service

Profile orFilter


Generalizations about Routing

Can be push or pull. Can be driven by various metadata

elements (e.g., audience, topic, etc.). May have both internal and external

metadata schemes to consider; mapping may be an important issue.


SearchingSearchingUser Query Databases Document

Subset

MetadataRecords

http://.


Epicurious.com


Epicurious, First Facet Browse > Picnics


Epicurious.com FacetsBeans, Beef, Berries, Cheese, Chocolate, Citrus,Dairy, Eggs, Fish, Fruits, Garlic, Ginger, Grains,Greens, Herbs, Lamb, Mushrooms, Mustard, Nuts,Olives, Onions, Pasta, Peppers, Pork, Potatoes, Poultry, Rice, Shellfish, Tomatoes, Vegetables

Main Ingredients

African, American, Asian, Caribbean, EasternEuropean, French, Greek, Indian, Italian, Jewish,Mediterranean, Mexican, Middle Eastern,Scandinavian, Spanish

Cuisine

Advance, Bake, Broil, Fry, Grill, Marinade,Microwave, No Cook, Poach, Quick, Roast, Saut, Slow Cook, Steam, Stir Fry

Preparation Method

Christmas, Easter, Fall, Fourth of July,Hanukkah, New Years, Picnics, Spring,Summer, Superbowl, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Winter

Season/Occasion

Appetizers, Bread, Breakfast, Brunch,Condiments, Cookies, Desserts, HorsD'oeuvres, Main Dish, Salads, Sandwiches,Sauces, Side Dish, Snacks, Soup, Vegetables

Course/Dish


Epicurious, Second FacetBrowse > Picnics > Poultry


Integration of Search and Browse


Amazon.com Advanced Search


Generalizations about Search & Navigation

The relationship between the metadata and search engine capabilities is crucial.

Controlled vocabulary and keyword searching are often both enabled.

Navigation and search are often both provided as complements to each other.


Contact:Amy J. Warner, [email protected]

Questions??

Metadata & Taxonomies for a More Flexible Information ArchitectureOutlineWhat is Metadata?Types & Functions of MetadataConfusing TerminologyLevels of ControlMetadata & IAIA GenerationsMetadata in Metadata-Driven WebsitesTwo Parts to Generating a Metadata SchemaTwo PossibilitiesContent AnalysisGenerating a Metadata TableSlide 14User and Stakeholder InvolvementIdentify TermsOrganize TermsVariant TermsTerm SpecificityCompound TermsFacetsFacet AnalysisPolyhierarchySlide 24Facets, Coordination, SpecificitySemantic RelationshipsSlide 27Slide 28Associative RelationshipsLeveraging the ThesaurusUses of Metadata-Driven WebsiteRoutingGeneralizations about RoutingSearchingEpicurious.comEpicurious, First FacetEpicurious.com FacetsEpicurious, Second FacetIntegration of Search and BrowseSlide 40Amazon.com Advanced SearchGeneralizations about Search & NavigationSlide 43