|
Scope Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference
Model
Introduction
A clear definition of the
scope of an ontology is vital both for its correct interpretation
and as a constraint during the process of development. For readers
of the CIDOC CRM ontology, the scope definition provides answers
to questions about what is and what is not covered by the ontology.
For the authors, the scope definition guides their choices about
what should be included or excluded. Without these constraints,
the task of maintaining the CIDOC CRM would have a natural tendency
to expand indefinitely, its purpose and interpretation would
be in danger of losing focus, resulting in misunderstandings
and confusion.
It is useful to make a distinction between the practical scope of the CIDOC
CRM, and its intended scope:
- The intended scope should be understood
as the domain that the CIDOC CRM would ideally aim to cover,
given sufficient time and resources, and is expressed as a definition
of principle. The practical scope is, necessarily, a subset of
the intended scope. The intended scope is difficult to define
with the same degree of precision as the practical scope since
it depends on concepts such as "cultural heritage" which are
themselves complex and difficult to define. The objectives provided
by the intended scope are important, however, since they allow
appropriate sources to be selected for inclusion in the practical
scope.
- The practical scope can be defined
as the current coverage of the CIDOC CRM ontology, and is expressed
primarily in terms of the reference documents and sources that
have been used in its elaboration. We can say that the CIDOC
CRM covers the same domain as these reference sources. In concrete
terms, 'mappings' are provided which enable translation to
and from the source documents. The practical scope is also
limited by contingent circumstances such as the availability
of resources, the workload of the authors and technical considerations.
The practical scope may evolve as new sources become relevant.
Back to top
Intended Scope
The intended scope of the
CIDOC CRM may be defined as all information required for the
scientific documentation of cultural heritage collections, with
a view to enabling wide area information exchange and integration
of heterogeneous sources. This definition requires some explanation:
- The term scientific documentation, is
intended to convey the requirement that the depth and quality
of descriptive information which can be handled by the CIDOC
CRM should be sufficient for serious academic research into a
given field and not merely that required for casual browsing.
This does not mean that information intended for presentation
to members of the general public is excluded, but rather that
the CIDOC CRM is intended to provide the level of detail and
precision expected and required by museum professionals and researchers
in the field.
- The term cultural heritage collections
is intended to cover all types of material collected and displayed
by museums and related institutions, as defined by ICOM (1). This
includes collections, sites and monuments relating to natural
history, ethnography, archaeology, historic monuments, as well
as collections of fine and applied arts. The exchange of relevant
information with libraries and archives, and the harmonisation
of the CIDOC CRM with their models, fall within the CIDOC CRM's
intended scope.
- The documentation of collections is
intended to encompass the detailed description both of individual
items within collections as well as groups of items and collections
as a whole. The scope of the CIDOC CRM is the curated knowledge
of museums. Information required solely for the administration
and management of cultural heritage institutions, such as information
relating to personnel, accounting, and visitor statistics, falls
outside the intended scope.
- The CIDOC CRM is specifically intended
to cover contextual information: the historical, geographical
and theoretical background in which individual items are placed
and which gives them much of their significance and value.
- The goal of enabling information exchange
and integration between heterogeneous sources determines the
constructs and level of detail of the CIDOC CRM. It also determines
its perspective, which is necessarily supra-institutional and
abstracted from any specific local context.
- The CIDOC CRM aims to leverage contemporary
technology while enabling communication with legacy systems.
Back to top
Practical Scope
The initial practical scope
of the CIDOC CRM was defined by the International
Guidelines for Museum Object Information: The CIDOC Information
Categories , published in June 1995 (the Guidelines) (2). This
document, edited by a joint team of the CIDOC Data and Terminology
and the Data Model Working Groups, resulted from the consolidation
of two parallel initiatives: the Information Categories for Art
and Archaeology Collections, 1992 and the CIDOC Relational Data
Model 1995, both of which had been in gestation since 1980. The
Guidelines thus represent the fruit of many years of collective
effort and reflection concerning museum information and constituted
an obvious starting point for the development of the CIDOC CRM.
The first published version of the CIDOC CRM, Melbourne 1998,
covers all the Guidelines, with the exception of elements that
3).
The elements of the following data structures that fall within the intended
scope define the practical scope of the CIDOC CRM. This will be verified by mappings
that will be included in the supporting documentation.
Back to top
Desirable
Back to top
1. The
term "cultural heritage" is notoriously difficult to define.
This issue is dealt with by referring to the ICOM definition http://www.icom.org/statutes.html#2
2. International
Guidelines for Museum Object Information: The CIDOC Information
Categories. ISBN 92-9012-124-6, http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/docs/guide.htm
3. The
document "CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model - Information
Groups" provides a detailed correlation of the CIDOC
Information categories and the CIDOC CRM. http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/docs/infogroup_graphics_v2.doc
Authors:
Nicholas Crofts,
Ifigenia Dionissiadou,
Martin Doerr,
Tony Gill,
Siegfried Krause,
Matthew Stiff,
Stephen Stead
Date: 2003-01-07
|
