Improvements to XTM 2.0 are suggested in this paper. First, a set of criteria is defined for evaluating those improvements. It is followed by the suggestions themselves: align element names with the names used in TMDM, reduce the number of elements by introducing mixed content and using attributes whenever it is possible. Finally, some relevant irregularities are discussed.

1. 1
A Case for XTM 3.0
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

2. 2
Goals
1. Make the format more compact
2. Improve the parsing speed
3. Simplify the parser development
4. Improve the readability
5. Improve the learning curve
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

3. 3
Align element names
itemIdentity → itemIdentifier
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

4. 4
Align element names
<itemIdentity
href=quot;#shakespeare-wrote-hamletquot;/>
old
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

5. 5
Align element names
<itemIdentifier
href=quot;#shakespeare-wrote-hamletquot;/>
new
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

6. 6
Reduce the number of elements
value
topicRef
resourceRef
→
resourceData
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

7. 7
Reduce the number of elements
<name>
<value>TMRA'08</value>
</name>
old
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

8. 8
Reduce the number of elements
<name>TMRA'08</name>
new
old
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

9. 9
Reduce the number of elements
<type><topicRef href=quot;#locationquot;/></type>
...
<scope>
<topicRef href=quot;#englisnquot;/>
<topicRef href=quot;#data-miningquot;/>
</scope>
...
<role>
<type><topicRef href=quot;#confquot;/></type>
<topicRef href=quot;#tmra-2008quot;/>
</role>
old
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

10. 10
Reduce the number of elements
<type href=quot;#locationquot;/>
...
<scope href=quot;#englishquot;/>
<scope href=quot;#data-miningquot;/>
...
<role href=quot;#tmra-2008quot;>
<type href=quot;#confquot;/>
</role>
new
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

11. 11
Reduce the number of elements
<occurrence>
<scope>
<topicRef href=quot;#germanquot;/>
</scope>
<resourceData>Leipzig</resourceData>
</occurrence>
<occurrence>
<scope>
<topicRef href=quot;#englishquot;/>
</scope>
<resourceRef
href=quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzigquot;/>
</occurrence> old
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

12. 12
Reduce the number of elements
<occurrence><scope href=quot;#germanquot;/>Leipzig</occurrence>
<occurrence
href=quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzigquot;>
<scope href=quot;#germanquot;/>
</occurrence>
new
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

13. 13
Simplify the association
<association>
<type><topicRef href=quot;#happens-inquot;/></type>
<role>
<type><topicRef href=quot;#confquot;/></type>
<topicRef href=quot;#tmra-2008quot;/>
<role>
</role>
<type><topicRef href=quot;#locationquot;/></type>
<topicRef href=quot;#leipzigquot;/>
</role>
</association>
old
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

14. 14
Simplify the association
<association type=quot;#happens-inquot;>
<role player=quot;#tmra-2008quot; type=quot;#confquot;/>
<role player=quot;#leipzigquot; type=quot;#locationquot;/>
</association>
new
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

15. 15
Ensure completeness
<topic id=quot;tmra-2008quot;>
<name type=quot;short-namequot;>
<scope href=quot;#englishquot;/>
</scope href=quot;#data-miningquot;/>TMRA'08</name>
<name>TMRA 2008</name>
</topic>
old
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

16. 16
Ensure completeness
<topic id=quot;tmra-2008quot;>
<name type=quot;short-namequot;
scope=quot;english data-miningquot;>TMRA'08</name>
<name>TMRA 2008</name>
</topic>
new
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

17. 17
Controversy around itemIdentity
Item identifier is a “locator assign to an information item in order to
allow it to be referred to” (TMDM, section 3.6).
“One specific use of item identifiers is in the deserialization from the
XML syntax where item identifiers are created that point back to the
syntactical constructs that gave rise to the information items in the
data model instance” (TMDM, section 5.1).
During merging of two topics A and B, a new topic C is created with
its item identifiers properties set “to the union of the values of A and
B's item identifiers properties” (TMDM, section 6.2).
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

18. 18
Controversy around itemIdentity
Topic map A with the IRI uri://base1/ Topic map B with the IRI uri://base2/
<topicMap version=quot;2.0quot;> <topicMap version=quot;2.0quot;>
<topic id=quot;id1quot;> <topic id=quot;id1quot;>
<subjectIdentifier <subjectIdentifier
href=quot;http://www.tmra.de/2008/quot;/> href=quot;http://www.tmra.de/2008/quot;/>
</topic> </topic>
</topicMap> </topicMap>
Topic map C with the IRI uri://base3/
<topicMap version=quot;2.0quot;>
<topic id=quot;id1quot;>
<subjectIdentifier href=quot;http://www.tmra.de/2008/quot;/>
<itemIdentity href=quot;uri://base1/#id1quot;/>
<itemIdentity href=quot;uri://base2/#id1quot;/>
</topic>
</topicMap>
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

19. 19
Controversy around itemIdentity
Suggested solution:
1. One topic – one item identifier principal.
2. Introduction of item origin.
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

20. 20
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

21. 21
Controversy around itemIdentity
<topicMap version=quot;2.0quot;>
<topic id=quot;id1quot;>
<subjectIdentifier href=quot;http://www.tmra.de/2008/quot;/>
<itemIdentity href=quot;uri://base1/#id1quot;/>
<itemIdentity href=quot;uri://base2/#id1quot;/>
</topic>
</topicMap>
old
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

22. 22
Controversy around itemIdentity
<topicMap version=quot;3.0quot;>
<topic id=quot;id1quot;>
<subjectIdentifier href=quot;http://www.tmra.de/2008/quot;/>
<itemOrigin href=quot;uri://base1/#id1quot;/>
<itemOrigin href=quot;uri://base2/#id1quot;/>
</topic>
</topicMap>
new
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

23. 23
Conclusion
1. Make the format more compact
2. Improve the parsing speed
3. Simplify the parser development
4. Improve the readability
> 50% reduction
5. Improve the learning curve
in size of an XTM
document
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

24. 24
Sample XTM 3.0
<topicMap xmlns=quot;http://www.topicmaps.org/xtm/quot; version=quot;3.0quot;>
<topic id=quot;shakespeare-wrote-hamletquot;>
<subjectIdentifier href=quot;#shakespeare-wrote-hamletquot;/>
<instanceOf ref=quot;academic-debatequot;/>
<name scope=quot;wikipediaquot;>Shakespeare's
authorship of Hamlet<variant>Shakespeare
authorship question</variant>
</name>
<occurrence
href=quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare_authorshipquot;
type=quot;wikipediaquot;/>
</topic>
...
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

25. 25
Sample XTM 3.0
...
<association reifier=quot;shakespeare-wrote-hamletquot;
type=quot;written-byquot;
id=quot;shakespeare-wrote-hamlet-associationquot;>
<role player=quot;shakespearequot; type=quot;authorquot;/>
<role player=quot;hamletquot; type=quot;workquot;/>
</association>
<topic id=quot;wikipediaquot;>
<name>Wikipedia</name>
</topic>
<topic id=quot;written-byquot;>
<name>Written by</name>
</topic>
<topic id=quot;shakespearequot;>
<name>William Shakespeare</name>
</topic>
...
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008

26. 26
Sample XTM 3.0
...
<topic id=quot;authorquot;>
<name>Author</name>
</topic>
<topic id=quot;hamletquot;>
<name>Hamlet</name>
</topic>
<topic id=quot;workquot;>
<name>Work</name>
</topic>
<topic id=quot;academic-debatequot;>
<itemOrigin href=quot;iri://abstract-topics/#debatequot;/>
<name>Academic deabate</name>
</topic>
</topicMap>
A.Mikhailian, R.Pinchuk, X.Baldauf: “A case for XTM 3.0” Leipzig, DE, 15/10/2008