ISO 25964-2:2013

Overview

ISO 25964-2:2013 - part 2 of the ISO 25964 series - defines guidance for thesauri and interoperability with other vocabularies. Published in 2013, it focuses on semantic interoperability for information retrieval by describing, comparing and recommending how to establish and maintain mappings (crosswalks) between multiple thesauri or between thesauri and other structured vocabularies (classification schemes, taxonomies, subject heading schemes, ontologies, terminologies, name authority lists, synonym rings, etc.).

ISO 25964-2 is concerned with the practicalities of mapping and the data needed to support cross-vocabulary services such as registries, repositories and crosswalk web services.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Objectives and identification of mapping targets and interoperability goals.
• Structural models for connecting vocabularies: structural unity, direct-linked, and hub structures; guidance on selective mapping.
• Types of mappings: equivalence (simple and compound), hierarchical, associative, and considerations for exact, inexact and partial equivalence.
• Pre-coordination handling: recommendations for mapping pre-coordinated classes in classification schemes.
• Techniques for mapping discovery: manual and computer-assisted matching, co-occurrence analysis, and other methods.
• Managing mapping data: what mapping metadata to record, storage, maintenance and display options (single-record displays, complete displays, crosswalks).
• Vocabulary-specific interoperability: tailored guidance for mapping between thesauri and classification schemes, taxonomies, subject headings, ontologies, terminologies, name authority lists and synonym rings.
• Use in information retrieval: practical advice on human mediation, implementation examples and recommendations for search systems.

Practical applications

ISO 25964-2 is applied to:

• Designing and maintaining controlled vocabularies and thesauri for digital libraries, archives, and research repositories.
• Creating crosswalks and mapping services that enable search and retrieval across heterogeneous vocabularies.
• Integrating legacy classification schemes with modern taxonomies or ontologies in enterprise content management and records management systems.
• Supporting metadata registries, vocabulary repositories, and semantic web/Linked Data projects that require reliable term mappings.

Who should use this standard

• Librarians, cataloguers and information professionals
• Metadata specialists and data managers
• Information architects and knowledge engineers
• Developers of search engines, discovery systems and crosswalk services
• Ontology and taxonomy designers working on interoperability

Related standards

• ISO 25964-1: Thesauri for information retrieval - complements Part 2 by covering thesaurus construction, formats and data exchange.
• Use in conjunction with metadata and indexing standards (e.g., ISO 999 for indexing practice) for full implementation.