A post by Rich Cooper (Rich AT EnglishLogicKernel DOT com) Analyzing Patent Claims demonstrates the power of small vocabularies (sets of subjects) for the analysis of patent claims.
It is a reminder that a topic map author need not identify every possible subject, but only so many of those as necessary. Other subjects abound and await other authors who wish to formally recognize them.
It is also a reminder that a topic map need only be as complex or as complete as necessary for a particular task. My topic map may not be useful for Mongolian herdsmen or even the local bank. But, the test isn’t an abstract but a practical. Does it meet the needs of its intended audience?