XML Topic Maps (XTM) 1.0 TopicMaps.Org Specification

XML Topic Maps (XTM) 1.0:

1. Introduction

1.1 Origins

XML Topic Maps (XTM) is a product of the TopicMaps.Org Authoring Group (AG), formed in 2000 by an independent consortium named TopicMaps.Org, originally chaired by Michel Biezunski and Steven R. Newcomb {both now at Coolheads Consulting}, and chaired at the date of delivery of this specification by Steve Pepper and Graham Moore. The Participating Members of the XTM Authoring Group are listed in Annex H: Acknowledgements.

The origins of the topic maps paradigm itself date back to 1993, when it was first expressed as a working document in the context of the Davenport Group. The paradigm was more fully developed thereafter in the context of the GCA Research Institute (now known as IDEAlliance), in an activity called Conventions for the Application of HyTime, during and after which the paradigm was independently developed, implemented, and promulgated. Early in 2000, after several years of continuous effort by an international group of individuals, the topic map paradigm was fully formalized for the first time as an ISO International Standard, ISO/IEC 13250:2000. Almost immediately thereafter, TopicMaps.Org was founded in order to develop the applicability of the paradigm to the World Wide Web, and to realize its enormous potential to improve the findability and manageability of information.

1.2 Goals

The design goals for XTM are:

1. XTM shall be straightforwardly usable over the Internet.


2. XTM shall support a wide variety of applications.


3. XTM shall be compatible with XML, XLink, and ISO 13250.


4. It shall be easy to write programs that process XTM documents.


5. The number of optional features in XTM is to be kept to the absolute
   minimum, ideally zero.


6. XTM documents should be human-legible and reasonably clear.


7. The XTM design should be prepared quickly.


8. The design of XTM shall be formal and concise.


9. XTM documents shall be easy to create.


10. Terseness in XTM markup is of minimal importance.

This specification, together with XML 1.0 for markup syntax [XML], XLink 1.0 for linking syntax [XLink], XML Base for base URI resolution [XML Base], and the IETF URI specification [RFC 2396] (as updated by [RFC 2732]), provides all the information necessary to understand XTM 1.0 and create conforming topic map documents.
This version of the XTM specification and its associated materials may be distributed freely, as long as all text and legal notices remain intact.