CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:57, 29 October 2007

Revision as of 21:23, 29 April 2009

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The '''[[CIDOC]] Conceptual Reference Model (CRM)''' provides the extensible [[Ontology (computer science)|ontology]] for [[concept]]s and [[information]] in [[cultural heritage]] and [[museum]] [[Information science|documentation]]. It is the [[international standard]] ([[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]]&nbsp;21127:2006) for the controlled exchange of cultural heritage information.<ref>[http://www.iso.org/iso/en/CatalogueDetailPage.CatalogueDetail?CSNUMBER=34424&scopelist=PROGRAMME ISO 21127:2006 (Information and documentation — A reference ontology for the interchange of cultural heritage information)]</ref> [[Archive]]s, [[library|libraries]], [[Museum|museumsmuseum]]s, and other cultural institutions are encouraged to use the CIDOC CRM to enhance accessibility to museum-related information and [[knowledge]].

==History==

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==Aims==

The overall aim of the CIDOC CRM is to provide a [[Reference_model|reference model]] and information standard that museums, and other cultural heritage institutions, can use to describe their collections, and related business entities, to improve information sharing.

<blockquote>

The CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) provides definitions and a formal structure for describing the implicit and explicit concepts and relationships used in cultural heritage documentation...to promote a shared understanding of cultural heritage information by providing a common and extensible semantic framework that any cultural heritage information can be mapped to. It is intended to be a common language for ___domain experts and implementers to formulate requirements for information systems and to serve as a guide for good practice of conceptual modelling. In this way, it can provide the "semantic glue" needed to mediate between different sources of cultural heritage information, such as that published by museums, libraries and archives.<ref>[http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/ CIDOC CRM Homepage]</ref>

</blockquote>

By adopting [[Formal semantics of programming languages|formal semantics]] for the CIDOC CRM, the pre-conditions for machine-to-machine [[Interoperable|interoperability]] and [[information integration|integration]] have been established. Thus, CIDOC CRM is well placed to become an important information standard and reference model for [[Semantic Web]] initiatives, and serves as a guide for [[Data modeling|data]], or [[Database model|database]], modeling more generally. Technically speaking, CIDOC CRM lends itself to software applications that extensively use [[Extensible Markup Language|XML]] and [[Resource Description Framework|RDF]].<ref>[http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/tools.html CIDOC CRM Tools and RDF mappings]]</ref> Many cultural heritage institutions are investigating or building applications that use CIDOC CRM.<ref>[http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/uses_applications.html CIDOC CRM Applications]</ref>

Following the successful standardization of the CIDOC CRM, a new initiative, [[FRBRoo]], was begun in 2006 to harmonize it with the [[FRBR|Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records]] (FRBR). The aim of this initiative is to "provide a formal ontology intended to capture and represent the underlying semantics of bibliographic information and to facilitate the integration, mediation, and interchange of bibliographic and museum information."<ref>[http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/frbr_inro.html FRBoo Introduction]</ref><ref>[http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/docs/doer_le_boeuf.pdf Martin Doerr, Patrick LeBoeuf, Modelling Intellectual Processes: The FRBR-CRM Harmonization, CIDOC Conference, September 11, 2006, Gothenburg, Sweden]</ref>

==Further reading==

* [http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/docs/cidoc_crm_version_4.2.1.pdf Nick Crofts, Martin Doerr, Tony Gill, Stephen Stead, Matthew Stiff (editors), Definition of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model, October 2006. Version 4.2.1]

* [http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/159984.html Martin Doerr, Nicholas Crofts: ''Electronic Communication on Diverse Data. The Role of the oo CIDOC Reference Model'']

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==External links==

* [http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/ The CIDOC CRM Website]