1ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM, factor for the integration

and presentation of cultural information

Martin Doerr

Foundation for Research and Technology - HellasInstitute of Computer Science

Heraklion,Oct. 14, 2000

Center for Cultural Informatics

2ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRMCultural Diversity and Data Standards

Aspects of cultural information:Collection description (art, archeology, natural history….) Archives and literature (records, treaties, letters, artful works..) Administration, preservation, conservation of material heritage Science and scholarship – investigation, interpretation Presentation – exhibition making, teaching, publication

How to make data standards ? Each aspect needs its methods, forms, communication means Data overlap, but do not fit in one schema Understanding lives from interrelations, how to express them?

3ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Historical Archives….

Type: TextTitle: Protocol of Proceedings of Crimea Conference Title.Subtitle: II. Declaration of Liberated Europe Date: February 11, 1945.Creator: The Premier of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The President of the United States of AmericaPublisher: State DepartmentSubject: Postwar division of Europe and Japan

“The following declaration has been approved:The Premier of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the President of the United States of America have consulted with each other in the common interests of the people of their countries and those of liberated Europe. They jointly declare their mutual agreement to concert… ….and to ensure that Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the world…… “

DocumentsMetadata

About…

4ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Images, non-verbose…

Type: ImageTitle: Allied Leaders at Yalta Date: 1945Publisher: United Press International (UPI)Source: The Bettmann ArchiveCopyright: CorbisReferences: Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin Photos, Persons

Metadata

About…

5ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Places and Objects

TGN Id: 7012124Names: Yalta (C,V), Jalta (C,V) Types: inhabited place(C), city (C)Position: Lat: 44 30 N,Long: 034 10 EHierarchy: Europe (continent) <– Ukrayina (nation) <– Krym (autonomous republic)Note: …Site of conference between Allied powers in WW II in 1945; ….Source: TGN, Thesaurus of Geographic Names

Places, Objects

About…

Title: Yalta, Crimean PeninsulaPublisher: Kurgan-LisnetSource: Liaison Agency

6ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Capture Underlying Semantics…

Diversity causes many (meta)data standards Related Information does not match one format or query

We have recognized (already 1994 with Museum Benaki): Event-centric models can integrate many kinds of retrospective

(historical) information

We have engaged in interdisciplinary work to create semantic content models, so-called: domain ontologies

Ontologies are the formalized knowledge: to drive data integration, query mediation, to motivate data structures and presentation models

7ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Explicit Events, Object Identity,

Symmetry

carried out

participated in

has created E31 Document“Yalta Agreement”

E7 Activity

“Crimea Conference”

E65 Creation

*

E38 Image

falls within

took place at

refers to

E52 Time-Span

February 1945

at least covering

at most within

E39 Actor

E39 Actor

E39 Actor

E53 Place7012124

E52 Time-Span

11-2-1945

8ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Outcomes

The CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model

A collaboration with the International Council of Museums An ontology of 75 classes and 106 properties for culture and more With the capacity to explain dozens of (meta)data formats Accepted by ISO TC46 in Sept. 2000 as work item

Serving as:

intellectual guide for good practice

concept clarification, structure clarification, identification of abstractions

prototype of schemata, formats, profiles

— adding format decisions and specialisation precise formal analysis of existing sources for integration

9ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

Metadata and the CIDOC CRM The Role of the CRM

Legacy systems

Legacy systems

Databases

World Phenomena

?

Data structures &Presentation models

Conceptualization

abstracts fromapproximates

explains,motivates

organize

refer to

Data in various forms

10ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

Metadata and the CIDOC CRM Metaschema of the CIDOC CRM

participate in

Actors

Types

Conceptual Objects

Physical Entities

Temporal Entities

Ap

pel

lati

ons

affect or / refer to

refer to / refine

refe

r to

/ i d

ent i f

ie

location

atwithinPlaces

Time-Spans

11ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

Metadata and the CIDOC CRMExample: The Temporal Entity Hierarchy

12ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Temporal Entity

Temporal Entity

This is an abstract entity and has no examples. It groups together things such as events, states and other phenomena which

are limited in time. It is specialized into Period, which holds on some geographic area, and Condition State, which holds for, on, or over a certain object.

— consists of related or similar phenomena,

— Is limited in time, is the only link to time, but not time itself

— spreads out over a place or object (physical or not).

— the core of a model of physical history, open for unlimited

specialisation.

13ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Temporal Entity- Subclasses

Period binds together related phenomena introduces inclusion topologies - parts etc. Is confined in space and time the basic unit for temporal-spatial reasoning

Event looks at the input and the outcome the basic unit for causal reasoning each event is a period if we study the process

Activity brings the people in adds purpose

14ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Temporal Entity- Main Properties

Temporal Entity Properties: has time-span (is time-span of): Time-Span

Period Properties: consists of (forms part of): Period

falls within (contains): Period took place at (witnessed): Place

Event Properties: had participants (participated in): Actor

occurred in the presence of (was present at): Stuff

Activity Properties: carried out by (performed): Actor

had specific purpose (was purpose of): Activity had as general purpose (was purpose of): Type

15ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

custody_changed_byTransfer of Epitaphios GE34604 (entity Transfer of Custody, Acquisition)

custody_surrendered_byMetropolitan Church of the Greek Community of Ankara (see above)

transfers_title_fromMetropolitan Church of the Greek Community of Ankara (see above)

custody_received_byMuseum Benaki (see above)

transfers_title_toExchangable Fund of Refugees (entity Legal Body)

has typenational foundation

carried out byExchangable Fund of Refugees (see above)

has time-span- (entity Time-Span)

begins at 1923 (entity Date)ends at

1928 (entity Date)took place at

Greece (entity Place)has type

nationrepublic

falls withinEurope (entity Place)

has typecontinent

Metadata and the CIDOC CRM Instantiation sample of the CIDOC

CRM

16ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRMSome Major Ideas

Fundamental categories: Temporal Entity, “Stuff”, Actors, Place, Date, Appellation, Types

Event-centric: Actors, Stuff, Place and Date connect ONLY through Temporal Entities

(events and states). Date is subordinate to event relations, auxiliary.

Reasoning on world names: Naming activities as historical facts

Unlimited subdivision: Date, Place, Periods, Objects, divide recursively into parts

Extensibility: Creation of subclasses, subproperties, indirection of properties

17ICS-FORTH October 14, 2000

The CIDOC CRM Conclusions

The CIDOC Model is the first international data standard for the cultural area

It is a rich intellectual framework for the analysis of cultural contents (physical world)

It is a powerful component for information systems

Its extensibility should give it a long validity.