Topic Maps are an ISO standard for the representation and interchange of knowledge, with an emphasis on the findability of information. The standard is formally known as ISO/IEC 13250:2003.

A topic map can represent information using topics (representing any concept, from people, countries, and organizations to software modules, individual files, and events), associations (which represent the relationships between them), and occurrences (which represent relationships between topics and information resources relevant to them).

Topics, associations, and occurrences can be typed, but the types must be defined by the creator of the topic maps, and is known as the ontology of the topic map. There are also additional features, such as merging and scope. The concept of merging and identity allows automated integration of topic maps from diverse sources into a coherent new topic map.

Topic maps have a standard XML-based interchange syntax called XML Topic Maps (XTM), as well as a de facto standard API called Common Topic Map Application Programming Interface (TMAPI), and query and schema languages are being developed within ISO.

See also

• Semantic Web
• Concept map
• Mind mapping
• UML

References

• Jack Park and Sam Hunting : XML Topic Maps: Creating and Using Topic Maps for the Web, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-74960-2

External links

• TopicMaps.Org XTM Specification
• Tools
• Home of the standards work
• The TAO of Topic Maps
• EasyTopicMaps
• TMAPI Specification
• TMAPI Tutorial