Getty (couple of other details)

[jamescarlyle <jamescarlyle at t...>]

I also forgot a couple of other things:

The Getty vocabularies were created so that art historians could make 
assertions about artifacts, using a standard ontology. TGN works in 
a similar way to wordnet, having synsets (e.g. the concept of a 
place, called different things at different points in time, and 
having different spellings in different languages, although 
annoyingly the spellings are not tied to a language code).

This from the Getty site:
"
1. Vocabularies can be used as "assistants" in database search 
engines, creating a semantic network (or roadmap) that shows links 
and paths between concepts. When querying a database, users can 
follow these paths composed of synonyms, broader/narrower terms, and 
related concepts to refine, expand, and enhance their searches and 
achieve more meaningful results. When used as a search assistant, a 
vocabulary is a powerful knowledge base -- linking searchers to 
information from both structured and unstructured databases.

2. Vocabularies are sources of "standard terminology" for use in the 
description, cataloging, or documentation of cultural heritage 
collections. Vocabularies often reflect consensus of opinion within a 
community, that is, by answering the question - "How do we talk (or 
write) about this particular subject area?" In doing so, vocabularies 
become valuable tools for professional catalogers and documentation 
staff who need to establish consistent access points.
"

Also, there is a TGN key for each place, corresponding to Wordnet 
SynsetIDs. For example, Leeds is 7019038. "The logical focus of TGN 
is a place, information about which forms an intellectual record. 
This intellectual record comprises all information tied to the place 
through a unique numeric key (geog_key). Names, notes, coordinates, 
dates, and place types for a place are linked by the geog_key." 

Even if the data itself can't be licensed, could the TGN be used in 
e.g. FOAF as a controlled vocabulary of places by referring to the 
geog_key in RDF statements?

James