The Second Edition of the Integrative Levels Classification: Evolution of a KOS

Purpose:This paper informs about the publication of the second edition of the Integrative Levels Classification(ILC2),a freely-faceted knowledge organization system(KOS),and reviews the main changes that have been introduced as compared to its first edition(ILC1).Design/methodology/approach:The most relevant changes are illustrated,with special reference to those of interest to general classification theory,by means of examples of notation for individual classes and combinations of them.Findings:Changes introduced in ILC2 include:the names and order of some main classes;the development of subclasses for various phenomena,especially quantities and algebraic structures;the order of facet categories and the new category of Disorder;notation for special facets;distinction of the semantical function of facets(attributes)from their syntactic function.The system can be freely accessed online through a PHP browser as well as in SKOS format.Research limitations:Only a selection of changed classes is discussed for space reasons.Practical implications:ILC1 has been previously applied to the BARTOC directory of KOSs.Update of BARTOC data to ILC2 and application of ILC2 to further information systems are envisaged.Possible methods for reclassifying BARTOC with ILC2 are discussed.Originality:ILC is a newly developed classification system,based on phenomena instead of traditional disciplines and featuring various innovative devices.This paper is an original account of its most recent evolution.

EDCMS:A Content Management System for Engineering Documents

Engineers often need to look for the right pieces of information by sifting through long engineering documents, It is a very tiring and time-consuming job. To address this issue, researchers are increasingly devoting their attention to new ways to help information users, including engineers, to access and retrieve document content. The research reported in this paper explores how to use the key technologies of document decomposition （study of document structure）, document mark-up （with EXtensible Mark- up Language （XML）, HyperText Mark-up Language （HTML）, and Scalable Vector Graphics （SVG））, and a facetted classification mechanism. Document content extraction is implemented via computer programming （with Java）. An Engineering Document Content Management System （EDCMS） developed in this research demonstrates that as information providers we can make document content in a more accessible manner for information users including engineers.The main features of the EDCMS system are： 1） EDCMS is a system that enables users, especially engineers, to access and retrieve information at content rather than document level. In other words, it provides the right pieces of information that answer specific questions so that engineers don＇t need to waste time sifting through the whole document to obtain the required piece of information. 2） Users can use the EDCMS via both the data and metadata of a document to access engineering document content. 3） Users can use the EDCMS to access and retrieve content objects, i.e. text, images and graphics （including engineering drawings） via multiple views and at different granularities based on decomposition schemes. Experiments with the EDCMS have been conducted on semi-structured documents, a textbook of CADCAM, and a set of project posters in the Engineering Design domain. Experimental results show that the system provides information users with a powerful solution to access document content.