While working on a “non-standard” explanation of topic maps (read non-formal notation), I thought about topic maps axioms that I needed to write down.
- All territories can have multiple maps.
- All maps can have multiple legends.
- All maps and legends are territories.
Here are my proposed illustrations for the axioms and perhaps readers can suggest alternatives or improvements.
All territories can have multiple maps. I will capture the outline of a geographic area, the borders, and use public domain maps that fade over each other to illustrate a single territory having multiple maps. That’s a geographic example, but I need an intellectual territory to illustrate the same principle. Suggestions?
All maps can have multiple legends. Start with a single map of a geographic area and apply different legends to it. For example, a Google map and asking for all hotels or schools or stores, etc. Different legends show different things (dare I say subjects?) on the same map.
All maps and legends are territories. Use a Google map showing say schools, stores, gas stations and then add foreign language terms for each items? Treating those parts of a map as subjects and adding an additional identifications.
Religion. Economics. Systems of Government.
Comment by Marijane White — April 30, 2010 @ 9:51 pm
Systems of government sounds like a good choice. Modelling governments with ministers, departments etc is a nice example. If you want to be more fancy you could do the ancient Greek classification of governments: democracy, oligarchy, etc
Comment by Lars Marius Garshol — May 1, 2010 @ 3:17 am
Marijane/Lars,
Yes, doing governments would be a nice one. There should be enough published information on the appointees to show the “overt” structure, then to show the College/University structure, perhaps the political contribution structure, etc.
Will have to give some thought to that.
Thanks!
Comment by Patrick Durusau — May 2, 2010 @ 8:20 pm