A semantic web methodological framework to evaluate the support of integrity in thesaurus tools

Abstract

With the Semantic Web, thesauri regain a relevant role supporting semantic searches and other added-value services. Thesaurus standards define the constructs a thesaurus can have and the integrity rules it must comply with. Thesaurus editors can be helped in their work if thesaurus tools offer them support for integrity, warning when integrity rules are violated and/or helping them to correct these mistakes. The most recent thesaurus standard is ISO 25964, which supersedes ISO 2788, evolving towards concept-based thesauri and better aligned with the Semantic Web approach than the term-based thesauri of ISO 2788. However, the W3C recommendation for Knowledge Organisation System (KOS) representation in the semantic web context is Simple Knowledge Organisation Systems (SKOS), which is in fact prior to ISO 25964. This article focuses on thesaurus integrity and the evolution from ISO 2788 to ISO 25964. Its effect on integrity issues is analysed. A methodological proposal for evaluating integrity support in thesaurus tools, arising from the results of this work, is presented. Its target audience is professionals in charge of thesaurus editing. Besides being adapted to the most recent thesaurus standard, ISO 25964, it also includes the comparison of ISO standards with SKOS. The article concludes with the presentation of the results obtained by applying the framework to three thesaurus tools.